While the main focus of Rogge's visit will be the formal operational aspects of China's preparations, a meeting with the premier would offer Rogge the opportunity to discuss the broader implications of recent events in Tibet.
The IOC has come under increased international pressure to try to exert influence on the Chinese government since security forces stamped out demonstrations in Lhasa and surrounding regions in the middle of last month.
Rogge has said in recent weeks that as a sporting organization the IOC is powerless to exert any influence, while also claiming the Games will be a force for good in China, a position that suggests he believes the IOC is not without leverage.
He has failed, however, to satisfy critics who point to the IOC's promise, made in 2001 when China was awarded the Games, that the human-rights situation would improve as a result of hosting the Olympics.
In Calcutta, the captain of India's soccer team, Bhaichung Bhutia, said he would refuse to carry the Beijing Olympic torch during its run through the Indian capital later this month in protest over China's crackdown in Tibet.
"It's a great honor that I have been chosen to carry the torch, but at the same time I am sorry to inform that it is not possible for me to take part in the torch run for personal reasons," Bhutia said yesterday.
Bhutia, among the first athletes to refuse to run with the torch, said he faxed his decision to the IOA on Monday.
"I strongly denounce the repression and torture unleashed by the Chinese authorities in Tibet," said Bhutia, who is a Buddhist.
"This time the Olympics are going to be held in China. I don't want to carry this torch" he said. "I have many Tibetan friends and I have taken this decision to show my solidarity with them."
Amnesty International said yesterday that China's rights record was getting worse because of, not despite, the Olympics as it bids to present a united front by cracking down on dissent.
Amnesty said it was increasingly unlikely the Games would improve rights in China and urged the IOC and world leaders to speak out publicly against violations.
Politicians risk being implicated in a "conspiracy of silence" if they fail to address issues such as the Chinese government's crackdown in Tibet, the London-based group said in the new report.
It also contained fresh criticism of the IOC.
"Unless the Chinese authorities take steps to redress the situation urgently, a positive human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics looks increasingly beyond reach," the report said.
A pre-Olympic crackdown on critics -- who the report says are targeted "in an apparent attempt to portray a `stable' or `harmonious' image to the world by August 2008" -- had "deepened not lessened because of the Olympics," Amnesty chief Irene Khan said.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said yesterday that he expected he and his EU counterparts would jointly invite the Dalai Lama to visit Brussels soon.
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