Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said on Thursday that the Olympics would rebound from the Beijing Games torch relay “crisis” and urged athletes not to lose faith in the movement. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, speaking at the opening session of the IOC's executive board meeting, said athletes around the world were in “disarray” after the disruption of the torch relay in Europe by Tibet activists and others. “Go back to your countries and tell your athletes and reassure them that whatever they might have seen and heard, the Games will be very well organized,” Rogge told the leaders of the 205 national Olympic Committees. “This is going to be their Games and they will enjoy it. Tell them not to lose faith in the Olympic movement. Tell them we will rebound from this crisis,” he said. “Tell them that they are going to set an example and the world will be watching.” Rogge said the torch relay leg in San Francisco on Wednesday had been an improvement over protest-disrupted legs in London and Paris earlier this week but still fell short of the ideal. “We were saddened by what we saw in London and Paris. We were sad for the athletes and the torch bearers. We were sad for the children who watched their heroes and role models booed,” Rogge said. “Fortunately, the situation was much better in San Francisco yesterday. It was, however, not the joyous party that we had we wished it to be,” he said. In San Francisco on Wednesday, the torch relay's only stop in North America, crowds were left disappointed and baffled by a last-minute decision to change the route of the relay. As a result, many people did not see the flame after an opening ceremony when it was diverted from the original route. Rogge again expressed his “serious concerns” and hope for a “rapid and peaceful resolution” to the Tibet “crisis”, but said the IOC must remain focused on the Games. “Athletes in many countries are in disarray and we need to reassure them,” he said. “Our responsibility is to offer them the Games they deserve ... They must be underpinned by a respect for ethical values, no doping, no cheating and respect for human rights. The Games are about generosity, we have 120 days to achieve this.” On Friday, the IOC executive board will discuss the future of the relay because of widespread protest. The torch is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then to a dozen other countries before arriving in China on May 4. No propaganda Athletes will be given strict guidelines on what they can and cannot say to prevent them falling foul of Olympic rules during Beijing Games. Rogge told reporters that freedom of speech was a fundamental human right, but that guidelines would be issued to prevent further politicization of the Games. “Freedom of expression is a human right (but) there are small restrictions,” he said on the opening day of the IOC's Executive Board meeting. “We are a movement of 205 nationalities and many of those nationalities are in conflict with each other. There are religious divides, ethnic divides. We do not want this to be in evidence at the Olympic Games.” Athletes have called for clear guidance on what they can and cannot say. Under the terms of the Olympic Charter, competitors are banned from making political statements or gestures at Olympic ceremonies or venues. Rogge said there would be “no limitations” on athletes, but did stress that propaganda would not be tolerated. “They can speak freely (at Olympic sites) but what they cannot do is conduct propaganda there.” Rogge would not be drawn on what sanctions could be imposed on athletes who breach the regulations. “I am not in sanction mode,” he smiled. “What we are doing today is telling the athletes what they are entitled to do and what the restrictions are in the venues. “The IOC will examine each case in its own merit. __
