International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach took part in the torch relay on Friday just hours before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Games, naming it “a symbol that the world needs.” Bach, 68, carried the torch as part of the shortened three-day relay before handing over to Abdulla Shahid, President of the United Nations general assembly. The torch relay culminates in the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony at Beijing’s National Stadium. “That is a symbol that the world needs in these times of division and confrontation,” the German said. Hos…