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Beijing Olympics organizers have revealed that the Olympic torch’s passage through Tibet will be shortened. The Olympic torch relay is due for Tibet next month. The Chinese authorities announced on Sunday, May 25, 2008 that the move is aimed at minimizing any outcry over the controversial relay leg. The torch is in the eastern city of Suzhou on Sunday.
Li Lizhi, an information officer with the Beijing Olympics has however claimed that the change is due to the Sichuan earthquake’s impact on the rest of the relay. She further added that because of this, the sacred flame will only pass through Lhasa, the Tibetan capital for one day. The torch’s passage from the Himalayan region has hence been cut from originally planned three days to just one day.
The Olympic torch in Lhasa is likely to in Lhasa on June 18, though the Beijing officials still have to confirm this. The relay has already been dogged by controversy, the world over following China’s mobilization of troops in the Buddhist state of Tibet. Among the various adjustments that have been made with regard to the Beijing Olympic torch relay, the organizers have pushed back its passage through quack hit area of Sichuan province to August 3-5, making it the last stop before coming to Beijing for the August 8-24 Games.
