SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco leaders surprised thousands of supporters and protesters today by rerouting the Beijing Olympic torch run from its advertised route to a more picturesque course that avoided the throngs of demonstrators lined up along the Embarcadero.

Authorities confirmed that the closing ceremony at Justin Herman Plaza had been canceled, though thousands of people remain there. City officials said it would soon head to the airport, where it is scheduled to leave for Buenos Aires on a China Airways flight.

The torch was originally scheduled to head from McCovey Cove to Fisherman's Wharf and back to Justin Herman Plaza. But after an opening ceremony, the torch was instead driven from McCovey Cove to Van Ness Avenue, where pairs of runners - buffered by dozens of police officers - carried it north to Bay Street and Marina Boulevard and onto Doyle Drive near the Golden Gate Bridge. That route was originally discounted by city officials because it was too high profile.The change in plans allowed city officials to avoid the majority of protesters and spectators, though some sprinted to catch up with the convoy as it reached the Marina district. The run remained peaceful and was not interrupted by protesters, as it was in France and London last week.

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City officials said this morning that they planned to cut the relay route short because of the large number of demonstrators. They never indicated that they would completely change the course, but City Hall sources familiar with the police response said the current route had been the plan since at least this morning.

The bait-and-switch was immediately blasted by Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, a vocal critic of Mayor Gavin Newsom's administration.

"Gavin Newsom runs San Francisco the way the premier of China runs his country - secrecy, lies, misinformation, lack of transparency and manipulating the populace," Peskin said. "He misled supporters and opponents of the run. People brought their families and their children, and (mayoral officials) hatched a cynical plan to please the Bush State Department and the Chinese government because of the incredible influence of money.

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