Timetable for Torch Relay in Sichuan Not Changed by Aftershock

A Beijing Olympics official said on Saturday that he has not heard the timetable for the Olympic torch relay in Sichuan has been changed after an aftershock hit the area on Friday.

A fresh aftershock measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit southwest China's Sichuan Province at 4:33 p.m. on Friday, leaving 231 people injured, four seriously, according to the local government.

Sun Weide, spokesman with the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG), said, "We have noticed the situation and are contacting with the relevant departments in Sichuan. According to what we have learned now, the preparation for Beijing Olympics torch relay in Sichuan is going smoothly."

According to the original plan, the Beijing Olympic relay would be run in Sichuan from June 15 to 18. After the May 12 earthquake, the BOCOG adjusted the relay route and decided to pass the Olympic torch through Sichuan from August 3 to 5.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2008)

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