A NUMBER of high-profile sportspeople and celebrities will be asked to carry the Olympic torch when it makes its historic visit to Dublin on June 6 next year.

The International Olympic Committee has called a halt to the short-lived experiment of relaying the Olympic torch around the world.

The International Olympic Committee and Beijing officials remain adamant next month’s Games will not be blighted by poor air quality in the Chinese capital.

The International Olympic Committee is to consider a formal application for golf to be included in the 2008 Games.