Torch relay for 2010 Olympics rethought

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 10 (UPI) -- The international Olympic torch run for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, will be minimal, officials told CTV News.

John Furlong, chief executive officer of the Vancouver Olympic Committee, said in a statement the torch will visit 1,000 cities across Canada in the 100 days leading up to the Winter Games, but the international angle will be negligible.

"It was not our intention to develop an international relay route," he said.

The network said the news followed protests that disrupted the run for the 2008 Beijing games in London, Paris and San Francisco.

The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to meet Friday to determine the future of the runs after the 2010 games although it has already ruled out canceling this year's events.

Protesters calling for China to end its occupation of Tibet turned the torch's runs in Paris and London into shambles, and the Wednesday run in San Francisco was shortened and altered to avoid skirmishes.