Olympic officer calls for end of global torch relay
Tuesday, 5 August 2008 16:37Olympic chiefs may scrap the global torch relay ahead of the London 2012 Games after a senior IOC figure called for an end to the event.
Canadian Dick Pound said the Beijing Games had narrowly escaped 'disaster' with the controversy over the relay.
Pound said only goodwill following the earthquake which struck China in May saved the Olympics from being hit by political boycotts over the issue of Tibet.
The IOC will now review the future of the international relay after these Games and it looks likely that London's relay will be restricted to Britain.
Pound told the IOC's session in Beijing: 'My view is that there should be a resolution to do away with the international portion of the torch relay.
'I believe they are wonderful in the host country, but the high risk and low reward of the international leg is now obvious.'
He added: 'The international leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay was close to a disaster that was beyond the control of the IOC and the organising committee.
'My commission, which examined the issue, felt that there should not be an international relay. The risks were obvious and should have been assessed more closely. The result was that there was a crisis.
'In my country we were in full boycott mode, with public and political opinion moving towards a boycott, and I think it was only the earthquake that diverted attention away from something that would have been very serious for us.'
Giselle Davies, the IOC's communications director, said a decision on the global torch relay would be taken after Beijing.
Davies said: 'A full review will be done once the Beijing Olympics are over of all aspects and that will include the torch relay.'
