The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voted to abolish the international legs of the Olympic torch relay leading up the games at its executive meeting in Denver, Colorado.

The move follows massive demonstrations and even rioting in several cities around the world - including Paris and London - by people protesting against China's human-rights record and other policies ahead of last year's Beijing Games.

The first international relay took place ahead of the 2004 Olympics in Athens but IOC executive director Gilbert Felli said the Olympic movement had come to the conclusion that it was easier for the torch to stay inside the host country, where there would be more control.

"There were difficulties with the NOCs (National Olympic Committees), and we also saw the risk with a torch relay going around the world," said Felli.

"Beijing had planned an international torch relay and we accepted it. We saw in the debrief that the risk was there and the IOC decided not to do it (again)."

The IOC decision applies to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and onwards. Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics have already said they had no plans to take the torch outside Britain.

"We have always said the primary focus would be on a domestic torch relay whose main purpose is to excite and inspire the UK in the build-up to the games," a London 2012 spokeswoman told the BBC.

"We planned to take our lead from the IOC and are very happy with this decision as it mirrors what we were intending to do."

The IOC also voiced satisfaction with the progress being made by organizers of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Meeting in Denver, Colorado, the IOC heard from French skiing legend Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the Sochi evaluation committee, that progress in preparing the games in the Black Sea resort city were making satisfactory progress.

Organizers said that construction of venues could begin as soon as May.

DPA