ORIGINAL PLAN

The Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG)'s original plan was to bring the torch from Athens to China overland along a "New Silk Road" but continuing instability in the Middle East may have forced a rethink.

"It's the IOC at the end of the day that takes the decision, but we leave the organising committee reasonably free to develop ideas and themes," Verbruggen added.

"Here they are developing this theme, I sincerely do hope that the emphasis is on their own country."

Organisers have always hoped that Taiwan will be included in the relay.

Taiwanese athletes compete separately under the Chinese Taipei banner at the Games but Verbruggen said the IOC would be quite happy if the relay visited the island.

"We don't have any problems with that, we imagine they are having discussions at sufficiently high levels and they will inform us of the results," he said.

BOCOG vice president Jiang Xiaoyu said on Thursday that the detailed plans for the relay would be made public in early 2007.

The Beijing Olympics will start on August 8, 2008.