Olympic Torch Route Ignites Dispute

They can take their torch and snuff it-is basically what Taiwan is saying. Meanwhile the IOC reaffirms that they don't care--it's OK for China's human rights to decline before the Games and for the killing to go on. Of course, labeling human rights as political, gets them off the hook, so they think--engaging in political activities is not part of their mandate.

And this is what Yao is saying:

"That looked like the Olympic spirit: People come together and share good experiences and look forward to the future," Yao said in an interview ahead of the unveiling.

I can certainly think of a couple of experiences I'd like to share with Yao.

Update: Some excerpts from the SF Gate AP : But Tsai Chen-wei, chairman of Taiwan's Olympic Committee, said less than two hours after the Beijing meeting that the island would not participate in the torch relay.

"This route is a domestic route that constitutes an attempt to downgrade our sovereignty," Tsai said. "It is something that the government and people cannot accept."

The International Olympic Committee, which shies away from controversy, was drawn into torch-relay politics after the three Americans and a Tibetan-American were detained on Everest. They waved a banner reading: "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008." Another one in English and Chinese read: "Free Tibet."

"We are certainly going to have more of this (protests)," Hein Verbruggen, head of the IOC body that coordinates with Beijing organizers, told reporters in Beijing. "We know that."

"We don't want to be, as the IOC, involved in any political issues." (MORE)