Rogge hopeful of 2008 torch route consensus

IOC president Jacques Rogge is hopeful that China and Taiwan will reach an agreement over the contentious 2008 Beijing Games torch route.

Beijing courted a political confrontation with Taiwan by including the self-governed island as the stop before Hong Kong in the torch relay schedule, a move that Taiwan rejected.

"I think we have only to judge for the route when it takes place, nothing is final," Rogge said yesterday.

"The Chinese organisers proposed to the Chinese Taipei Olympic committee to have the flame, they had accepted that, and changed their minds now, and who can say that is final, so I won't comment on the issue."

The 137,000-km route, which includes a trip to the top of Mount Everest, visits 20 "international" cities on five continents.

Taiwan is referred to as "Chinese Taipei" in Olympic affairs, a compromise that was reached in the late 1970s to allow the return of China to the sporting movement.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 and has vowed to bring the island back under mainland rule, by force if necessary.

"Sports is a way to unite people, I think we have seen that extremely clearly in South Korea," he said.

"Speaking of the period 1985-86 before the 88 Games (Seoul), Korea was in the midst of student protests, union protests and demonstrations in the streets.

"The magic, the dynamics of the Games is such that Korean society had peace and harmony and the Games were held perfectly...this is very positive and this is something we are seeing in many many countries. Sports is a force for the good."