Nepal on Wednesday officially launched events to mark the 60th anniversary of man's first ascent on Mt. Qomolangma, also known as Mt. Everest, to be observed in the foothills of the world's highest peak and Kathmandu from May 26 to 30.

Nepal Tourism Board unveiled the program amid a ceremony which was participated by famous Sherpa mountaineers, tourism experts and government officials.

As per the plan, an "Everest Conference" will be held in Khumjung near the Qomolangma base camp on May 26, in which working papers on global warming and its effect on the Himalayas will be presented.

On May 27, photo and philatelic exhibition related to Mt. Qomolangma will be held in Kathmandu, while on May 28, Tenzing and Hillary Award will be given to the most deserving Qomolangma summiteers.

May 29 will be the main event day, as it was the day when Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal jointly ascended Mt. Qomolangma in 1953.On this day, many famous personalities of the mountaineering sector will be the guests of honor.

Among them are Appa Sherpa, a 21 times Qomolangma summiteer, Reinhold Messner, the first person to climb Qomolangma without oxygen and all 14 highest mountains on earth, Tensing's grandson Tashi and Hillary's granddaughter Amelia.

Kancha Sherpa, the only surviving member of the 1953 Qomolangma expedition team, is also expected to participate in the event.

Around 1,000 Qomolangma summiteers are expected to arrive for the ceremony, while 40 record holders will be conferred with the Diamond Jubilee Medals in Narayanhiti Palace in Kathmandu.

From Qomolangma base camp to Namche, a distance of some 42.2 km, there will be an Qomolangma Marathon race to be participated in by international athletes.

"The whole four days of celebration will be memorable and eventful," said Purna Chandra Bhattarai, coordinator of the organizing committee.

"The ascent of Mt. Everest is considered the second triumph of mankind after the event of landing on the moon. Let's celebrate this day with a lot of fanfare and pride," added Bhattarai.