India's football captain won't carry Games torch

New Delhi: India's football captain, Bhaichung Bhutia, has refused to carry the Beijing Olympic torch during its run in the Indian capital later this month to protest Chinese authorities' crackdown on recent protests in Tibet.

The Indian Olympic Association, which is organising the flame's run in New Delhi on April 17, has invited several top Indian athletes, including Bhutia, P. T. Usha, Milkha Singh and Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, to the event.

An Indian sports official said on Tuesday that Bhutia faxed his decision to the Indian Olympic Association on Monday.