ESPN: A Convoluted Olympics

The Olympic torch completed the final leg of its global relay before reaching Beijing where the games will open, passing Tuesday through the earthquake-stricken province of Sichuan in an homage to tens of thousands killed there in May. The torch was paraded through about eight miles of the provincial capital of Chengdu. Hours later, a powerful aftershock struck other parts of Sichuan province in western China and nearby provinces, but it was not felt in Chengdu.

The original route of the torch in Chengdu was altered, taking it through an industrial part of the city rather than a more historic section that houses Tibetan communities, apparently out of concern that anti-government protests could mar the ceremony. Deadly riots against the Beijing government broke out in the capital of neighboring Tibet in March, and pro-Tibet activists have disrupted the torch relay overseas. The Chengdu segment of the torch relay had originally been scheduled for mid-June but was postponed because of the massive May 12 quake, which killed almost 70,000 people and left some 5 million homeless. Chengdu was affected by the quake but it did heavier damage to areas north of the city.

Olympic organizers rescheduled the torch's run through Sichuan to support relief efforts there. There were two days of days of events that began Monday -- the final stops on the flame's global tour before reaching Beijing and Friday's opening ceremony. The flame arrived in the capital Tuesday evening, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

In Chengdu, busloads of police officers as well as troops with riot shields and helmets lined the torch route. Security checkpoints were set up for spectators and crowds selected by the local government cheered with gusto and waved Chinese flags and Olympic banners. Near Wuhouci temple in the older section of Chengdu, a road leading to a Tibetan area which includes the office of Tibet's provincial government was heavily guarded by police armed with guns that fire tear gas. The relay began with a minute of silence to honor the quake victims and ended without incident.

Hours after the relay, a powerful magnitude-6.0 aftershock shook buildings in other parts of Sichuan province and state media reported one person killed and 23 injured. It was the latest of scores of aftershocks that have hit the area. The latest quake rattled buildings in Qingchuan county and neighboring Shaanxi province's Hanzhong and Xi'an cities and the sprawling municipality of Chongqing, Xinhua reported. But it was not felt in Chengdu, more than 120 miles away from Qingchuan and 250 miles from Hanzhong.