IOC Feeling Torched?

After a year of embarrassing protests leading up to the Beijing Games, Olympic leaders called Thursday for an end to international torch relays starting next year in Vancouver.

The torch relay turned into a convenient platform for protesters to denounce China's human rights record. Some of the biggest protests were in London, Paris and San Francisco. In San Francisco, officials were forced to reroute the parade path to avoid confrontations.

The International Olympic Committee announced the change at its three-day meetings in Denver, but said it doesn't require an adjustment of the contracts for host cities. There was no requirement for cities to take the relays internationally, but in recent years, the cities would request such a tour.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director for the Olympic Games, said the IOC started recognizing risks during the relay before the Athens Games.

"However, at the time, Beijing had already started its planning for the international torch relay, and we had accepted to do it accordingly," Felli said. "We have seen on the debrief of the torch relay that the risk was there, and it is why the IOC has decided not to do it."

The IOC executive board also received updates on the Vancouver, London and Sochi Games and didn't report any major problems.

There were no further meetings Thursday to discuss the flap over revenue sharing between the IOC and U.S. Olympic Committee. IOC president Jacques Rogge will address the issue Friday in his press conference but is not expected to announce any agreement.

Bob Ctvrtlik, a key negotiator on the USOC side along with new chairman Larry Probst, described the talks as "three steps forward, two steps back."

"Hopefully, and I'm cautiously optimistic, we'll come to a resolution to this, whether it be tomorrow or very soon," Ctvrtlik said.