Wednesday, 2 April 2008

Wary of protests, IOA shortens Olympic torch route

Fearing trouble from Tibetan protestors, the Indian Olympic Association has shortened the route of the Olympic torch relay to be held here on April 17.

The original route from Red Fort to India Gate covering 8 to 9 kms has been shortened to 2 to 3 kms and the details of the redrawn path are being worked out.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Secretary General Randhir Singh said the details of the new route would be announced soon.

"The route has been shortened and the details of it will be made known on a later date," Singh said.

The decision to cut short the route comes after Tibetan protestors threatened to disrupt the relay.

The protestors had last month stormed the heavily-guarded Chinese Embassy leading to a strong reaction in Beijing, where the Indian ambassador was summoned twice, once in the wee hours, to register protest.

Meanwhile, Bhaichung Bhutia's pullout from the relay in support of the Tibetan cause has not affected the long list of celebrities willing to carry the torch.

Randhir Singh said over 50 eminent personalities from various fields have been invited to run the relay and confirmations were pouring in.

"We have got confirmations from a lot of celebrities," he said.

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