Paula Radcliffe has been confirmed as one of the 80 torch-bearers in Sunday's Olympic relay through London. The marathon world record holder will carry the torch over Tower Bridge as the flame is transported from Wembley Stadium to the O2 Arena in Greenwich.

Radcliffe joins a strong contingent of current, former and future Olympic athletes, with Sir Steven Redgrave running the first leg after lighting the torch at Wembley Stadium. Dame Kelly Holmes will complete the final leg of the relay by lighting an Olympic cauldron in front of 5,000 spectators.

Confirmation of Radcliffe's inclusion as the 80th torch-bearer is understood to have been delayed until today due to the athlete's training schedule. The high-profile announcement is a boost for the relay organisers, following a day of confusion over the participation of the Chinese ambassador.

Four places in the relay have been reserved for representatives from Beijing's organising committee BOCOG, and one of those was set to be taken by ambassador Fu Ying. She has been instructed to spend the day with the Chinese delegation flying into London for the event - but the embassy stated yesterday she was trying to find a way of juggling both responsibilities. The Chinese denied reports she had withdrawn from the relay.

Demonstrators are planning to stage protests along the route over the Chinese government's human rights record in Tibet. The Tibetan government-in-exile has said around 140 people were killed in protests last month, a claim disputed by Beijing.

The torch relay was hit by one withdrawal yesterday when comedienne Francesca Martinez declared that taking part would legitimise violence in Tibet. Redgrave revealed he has also been urged to take a stand against the situation in Tibet. "I've had a number of emails to my website urging me that my taking a stand would make a difference in the situation in Tibet," he said. "It was nothing untoward - they wanted me to seriously consider my views. I can see why they would like to make an issue over the torch relay and the Beijing Games."

The relay begins at 10.30am on Sunday and includes ten Olympics champions, 18 schoolchildren and public figures such as Sir Trevor McDonald and Vanessa Mae. Denise Lewis, the former heptathlon Olympic champion, will carry the torch into Downing Street, where she will be greeted by the Prime Minister.

Tim Henman, Kevin Pietersen, Theo Walcott and Ellen McArthur will all carry the torch on its route across the capital.

The flame was lit in Olympia, Greece on March 24 before the official handover in Athens, venue for the 2004 Olympics, on March 30. The most ambitious Olympic relay ever will see the torch travel 85,000 miles through 21 cities and visit all 31 provinces of China before being carried into the Beijing Games' opening ceremony on August 8.

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