Chinese organizers have cancelled the international legs of the first Paralympic torch relay. (Hoang Dinh Nam/Getty Images) The international portion of the Beijing Paralympic torch relay has been cancelled and the domestic legs of the relay shortened.
Chinese organizers announced the change Wednesday, citing a desire to focus its efforts on relief work for the millions of people displaced by the earthquake that struck Sichuan province on May 12.
Violent protests against China’s Tibet policies had interfered with many international legs of the relay, including London, Paris and San Francisco. Other legs had to be shortened and were led by a group of police.
While the portions of the relay in China were peaceful, parts of it last week through Tibet and Xinjiang’s western region were shortened and featured heavy security.
This would have been the first international Paralympic torch relay, which had scheduled stops in London, Vancouver, Whistler and Sochi, Russia, the venues for the next three Olympic Games.
The Paralympic Games are slated for Sept. 6-17.
The torch returns to Beijing Aug 6, two days before the opening ceremony.
With files from the Associated Press
