Organizers for the 2008 Beijing Games are studying the Olympic torch relay route in earthquake-ravaged Sichuan Province, a senior official said yesterday.

They have not said if there will be any changes to the planned route. According to the original schedule, the relay was planned to pass through Sichuan from June 15 to 18.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the games suspended the torch relay for three days "to express our deep mourning to the victims of the earthquake," said Jiang Xiaoyu, the executive vice chairman of the committee, at a press conference in Tianjin on Monday.

The earthquake in Sichuan won't affect the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he said.

All Olympic events will be held in Beijing and six other cities. So the earthquake in Sichuan won't have an impact on the Games, Jiang said at the conference.

Olympic preparations are going well, Jiang said. Construction work for all 37 venues and 45 training centers in Beijing have been completed, Jiang said.

The National Convention Center and Olympic Village were also ready, while construction on a multi-purpose TV tower and Olympic Forest Park was almost complete, he added.

Rehearsals for the opening and closing ceremonies were on-going and the organizer has decided on how to ignite the Olympic flame, Jiang said.

The first official rehearsal for the opening ceremony will be held on June 10, Jiang said.

More than 100 royals, state and government heads have expressed their willingness to attend the opening ceremony, Jiang said. More than 60 of them have made arrangements via diplomats.

(Shanghai Daily May 21, 2008)