China, which has repeatedly emphasized its desire not to politicize the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has said that the Olympic torch will pass through Tibet — the epicenter of recent protests — as planned. From the NYT:
Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the organizing committee, said at a news conference Wednesday that International Olympic Committee rules allow for a change or cancelation in the torch route in certain cities in the event of bad weather or other unfavorable conditions. But Mr. Jiang said he was confident that the relay would be held as planned, despite its course through restive Tibetan regions, which he said had “basically been stabilized.”
“Those events will never affect the normal operation of the torch relay in China,” Mr. Jiang said.
