Future of Olympic torch relay to be discussed

The Irish Olympic Council has said the Irish team and its athletes will be taking part in the Beijing Olympic games regardless of any political or diplomatic boycott that could be staged.

Under the Olympic Charter sport and politics always remain separate. The Irish Olympic Council says for that reason athletes and coaches will participate in the Beijing Games and the opening ceremony regardless of any boycott.

If Ireland did decide to boycott the games, it would not affect the participation of athletes but only impact state representatives visiting Beijing. Normally the Sports Minister attends the Olympics.

Future of Olympic torch relay to be discussed

Meanwhile, the President of the International Olympic Committee says the Games' executive board will discuss the Beijing Games torch relay when it meets later this week.

Jacques Rogge was speaking after protests disrupted the European legs of the relay, but he would not speculate on what options might be discussed.

Other Olympic sources said earlier the current relay would continue as planned, but the board was likely to discuss the role of the relay for future Olympics at this week's meeting in Beijing.

Chinese sources are adamant that protests will not affect the relay. A spokesman for the organisers, Sun Weide, said 'No force can stop the torch relay of the Beijing Games.'

The Olympic flame travelled overnight from France to the US, where the torch relay is to be run in San Francisco tomorrow.

Seven people have already been arrested in the city, where further protests are expected to greet the flame.

The Paris leg of the relay had to be completed hastily by bus yesterday due to security concerns after repeated disruption by pro-Tibet demonstrators.

At least 23 people were briefly detained by French police.

The Beijing Olympic Committee is trying to stage the most ambitious Olympic torch relay of all time, visiting 19 countries outside China during a 137,000km journey.

In China, the torch is scheduled to travel to each province, and the journey includes controversial legs up Mount Everest and through Tibet.