RICHMOND, B.C. - Rick Hansen wheeled the Olympic torch into a large celebration in Richmond, B.C., on Tuesday, a city where residents have claimed the Man In Motion as their own 25 years after he set out on an historic journey.

Hansen, who has been paralysed from the waist down since he was 15 years old, carried the torch into a large park in his wheelchair and then up a ramp onto the stage, where he lit a community cauldron.

Tens of thousands of people came out to see the flame, which Hansen said represented the dreams not just of athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics but of all Canadians, as well.

"This flame symbolizes a sense of hope and possibility for everyone," Hansen, who has lived in Richmond for the past two decades, told the crowd.

"The athletes who will be here coming from around the world, they have dreams of Olympic glory and personal bests, but each and everyone of you have goals and dreams as well."

Hansen's story is one of dreams shattered, and then rebuilt.

He lost the use of his legs when he was just a teenager, hitchhiking in the back of a pickup truck when it crashed.

He spent seven months in rehab after the crash, but eventually turned to sport, winning a series of international wheelchair marathons and six medals at the 1980 and 1984 Paralympics.

Following in the shadow of his friend Terry Fox, Hansen started his Man In Motion tour in 1985, wheeling more than 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries and raising $26 million for research into spinal cord injuries.

The success of Man In Motion led to the creation of the Rick Hansen Foundation in 1988, and the organization has since raised $200 million for spinal cord injury research and programs for people living with such injuries.

Hansen said he found his way from a devastated teen to a world-renowned symbol of inspiration through sport.

"When I had my accident, it was the worst thing that could have happened to me - my hopes and dreams were shattered along with the use of my legs," he told reporters after carrying the flame.

"It was the people who worked together that helped me come back again, it was the attitude that I learned in sport that made me realize that I didn't have to give up."

During the Games, Hansen is one of several honorary mayors of the athlete's village, greeting athletes during the Olympics and Paralympics.

The closing ceremonies of the Paralympics actually fall on the 25th anniversary of when he started the Man In Motion tour on March 21, 1985.

Annabelle Avelino of Richmond, who saw the torch earlier in the day and came out to see Hansen light the cauldron, said he was a fitting torchbearer.

"With everything that he's done, raising awareness for people with disabilities, and with the Paralympics here, that's a big thing," she said.

Shortly before Hansen took the flame, the relay visited the Richmond Olympic Oval, home of the speed skating events during the Games.

A torchbearer carried the torch through a gate into a secure area of the venue, posing for photos while passing the flame to another torchbearer with the glowing rings on the side of the oval behind them.

Sean Hodgkinson, a 14-year-old from Richmond who saw the relay pass by the oval, said he didn't have to think twice about coming out to see the relay.

"I'm Canadian and I want to help support us," said Hodgkinson. "It's kind of unbelievable that the Olympics came here so close to home."