Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Sichuan leg of the Olympic torch relay has been pushed back for seven weeks in the wake of the earthquake that struck the southwestern Chinese province on May 12.

    "In support of earthquake relief efforts in Sichuan Province, the Sichuan leg of the Olympic Torch Relay will be shifted to August 3-5 from the originally scheduled dates of June 15-18," the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) said ina statement.

    "The schedule and route of the relay through other stops will also be adjusted," added the statement.

    The Olympic torch resumes its journey through China on Thursday after a three-day period of national mourning for victims of the May 12 devastating earthquake.

    The rescheduling of the relay means that the Sichuan leg will be the last stop before Beijing, which will see the Olympic flame light the cauldron on August 8.

    But it is still unclear how the relay's route through the rest of China will be adjusted to make up for the delay this week.