IOC Head: We Can Weather Torch 'Crisis'

The protests following the Olympic torch around the globe are a “crisis,” but the International Olympic Committee has faced worse, its chief said today. The Games, he said, would “rebound," the BBC reports. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama said China “deserved” to host, CNN reports. "We are not anti-Chinese," the Tibetan spiritual leader said. But he also supports the protesters' right to be heard: "Nobody has the right to tell them to shut up."

Rogge said while this year’s relay would continue, the Committee may not hold future international runs. He added that the Committee had hoped “awarding the games to China would advance the social agenda of China, including human rights." Replied a Chinese official: "We hope that the IOC officials can eliminate the disruptions and stick to the clearly stated principles in the Olympic charter." (More 2008 Beijing Olympics stories.)