Eighteen-year-old Tibetan student Tsela Zoksang and 22-year-old Joey Siu from Hong Kong are to face charges which will be heard at an Athenian court in January.

"We have serious concerns about how the Beijing Government may try to interfere in proceedings in Greece," Pema Doma of Students for a Free Tibet said in Athens today.

The pair have been released and their case will be heard in absentia in January. 

They have given power of attorney to Greek legal representatives so they will not be required to attend the hearing.

The No Beijing 2022 group has called upon sponsors to withdraw their backing from the Games and asked athletes to consider boycotting the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

"We have a few athletes speaking out," Zumretay Arkin of the World Uyghur Congress said.

"The medals that they are going to win are going to be tainted with the blood of the victims.

"To the athletes, we support you.

"While you might be losing one Olympic Games, we have lost our entire families. 

"The Olympic Torch is supposed to represent peace and hope, but for our people represents complicity with repression."

The No Beijing 2022 protest group told insidethegames that two members of its party had been stopped by Greek police whilst leaving the press conference in a taxi.

A man of Asiatic appearance also observed No Beijing 2022 after the media conference but refused to identify himself when challenged by the group.

There was a heightened police presence in the area around the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens today before the Flame handover ceremony. 

Although the ceremony was conducted without public spectators, media and others were subject to a baggage search and passed through magnetic security equipment.

The ceremony proceeded without incident and the Flame has now been taken to the airport from where it will fly to China.