Lit by the sun's rays in Athens, Greece in November and carried 37,000 miles through five continents, the ceremonial flame of the Special Olympics swept into Boundary County with a hoopla and fanfare fitting for one of the largest winter sporting events ever hosted by Idaho - the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

And what a reception 10 teams of 54 runners that included 10 Special Olympic athletes and law enforcement officers from around the world received at the Eastport border crossing, 30 miles from Bonners Ferry, which former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne dubbed Idaho's friendliest city.

From the Royal Canadian Mounted Police clad in their impressive red uniforms, to members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers and Boundary County Sheriff Greg Sprungl, they received a what one onlooker said was a "hero's welcome."

Despite freezing temperatures and a stiff wind blowing in from Canada, nearly 100 residents and school children braved the January cold to cheer the international team on the last leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run as it made its way from the northernmost tip of Idaho.

The team - led by former Bonners Ferry Police Chief Dave Kramer, who has worked with Boundary County Special Olympian teams for years - sprinted nearly a mile to the U.S./Canadian border crossing as crowds cheered and applauded.

"This is an historic event for all of Idaho," said Kramer, who carried the torch along with a Special Olympian. "It will probably be the only time that Idaho will host the world event for Special Olympic athletes. Many of the runners here today are law enforcement officers have come from countries around the world. We're all pretty proud and excited to be a part of something as significant as this."

The Flame of Hope will light the Olympic cauldron at the Idaho Center on Feb. 7, marking the opening of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, which will showcase more than 2,400 Special Olympians from 107 nations in a winter sporting event that is expected to be bigger than the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Runners will travel by bus to 60 different cities throughout the Gem State beginning Jan. 29, running through each city and taking part in more than 70 public ceremonies.

The Special Olympics torch gets its official Boise welcome at 4:45 p.m. on Feb. 4 at Boise City Hall.

Since the first Special Olympics in Chicago was assembled by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968 with 1,000 special-needs athletes from the U.S. and Canada, the event has grown into an international movement with 3 million athletes participating worldwide.