SURREY, B.C. - The Olympic torch relay made its way Monday through the Vancouver-area community of Surrey, home to one of the largest Indo-Canadian populations in the country, as it enters the final days of its coast-to-coast tour of Canada.
The torch is now in the Lower Mainland as the relay approaches Friday's opening ceremonies in Vancouver.
Some observers have suggested Olympic celebrations have failed to include Canada's diverse cultural groups, but many Indo-Canadians who came out to watch the relay in Surrey said they feel included.
Hundreds - some holding signs or carrying their own makeshift torches - came out to watch 52-year-old Satnam Johal, who is from India, as he ran down the street with the flame above his head.
Many in the crowd were Indo-Canadian, and they ran alongside Johal to the beat of a drum that was played by one of his family members.
Johal's nephew, 22-year-old Manvir Sahota, said the large contingent who came out to see the relay pass by is a testament to how the Indo-Canadian community feels about the Games.
"Think about how many people live here and how diverse it is, and how many people came out for a 300-metre run," said Sahota after watching his uncle.
"They don't discriminate on who they choose."
Atul Chopra, a friend of Johal's who described himself as a businessman, agreed.
"Look at the crowd - that should tell you everything," he said. "We are happy that it is being carried here."
Later in the day, Daniel Igali, a Nigerian-born Surrey resident who won gold in wrestling at the 2000 Olympics, was set to carry the torch to light a community cauldron.