I am neither a superstitious man nor a true football fan. Despite my deep feelings for the Olympic torch - designed and themed according to a uniquely Chinese concept of "Lucky Clouds" - I would never go so far as suggesting it would by any means bring luck to football clubs along the sacred fire's passage.

Strange, it may be, but glittering success is precisely what it has so far accompanied. Upon our arrival in Istanbul, not even I could turn a blind eye to the scale and degree of local support for a hometown club's fresh victory in Europe.

As I was exhausted, I innocently asked: "What's all this happiness about?"

Our hosts burst into laughter.

"Mr Spokesman, you of all people should know of this fantastic night for us," one said. "Fenerbahce, Turkey's national champion, just defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals! Can you believe that?"

I did not know enough about soccer to truly understand what it meant to the locals.

But when Zenit Saint Petersburg did the same by storming Germany's mighty Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 in the UEFA Cup before our chartered plane landed, all the entourage was impressed.

My own interest in the sport also rose, and I began asking youngsters in our group about soccer and sport during dinner.

"See, we're lucky stars and auspicious for dark horses," a young flame attendant proudly told me.

But as it turned out, traditional powerhouses also had much to gain. Chelsea's 2-0 win over Manchester City, a crucial victory in its race for the Premier League title, was a timely reminder.

To be sure, luck had changed the weather as well. Relay day in St. Petersburg, which averages a mere 36 sunny days per year, received abnormally warm sunlight. And although it snowed heavily in London on the morning of its leg of the run - a rare showcase of winter weather in spring - the sky cleared up just in time for the evening grand finale.

Qu Yingpu, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, is spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay.