The Olympic flame could pass by Mt Everest, the world's highest mountain, en route to Beijing, organizers of the 2008 Summer Games announced.

"We're planning to take the Olympic flame to Mount Everest, it's a project we're studying," spokesman Yang Binyuan said here.

The move could be seen as a highly contentious one given that most of the Himalayan mountain range lies within Tibet, a region ruled by China since it sent in the military to "liberate" the Himalayan region in 1950.

Mt Everest, standing 8,848 metres (29,028 feet) high, lies on Nepal's border with Tibet, which international rights groups accuse the Chinese of ruling through repression and military intimidation.

Yang confirmed that construction of the 37 sporting infrastructures, including 31 in Beijing, being built for the Games would be finished by the end of 2007.

Once the sites are finished, the organizers plan to host around 40 test events, including the Paralympic Games.

Two have already taken place at the Beijing softball centre and sailing in Qingdao.
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(AFP October 18, 2006)