UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, an aide has said.
The decision was due to "schedule issues" and had been made months ago, said UN spokeswoman, Marie Mukabe.
Meanwhile, Buenos Aires is braced for Friday's Olympic torch relay after anti-China protests in other cities.
Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai has withdrawn from the torch relay's Tanzanian leg, due to concerns over human rights in China.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan said the UN was anxious not to give impression that Mr Ban's absence was a boycott of the Games.
Ms Mukabe said Mr Ban "had conveyed to the [Chinese] government some months ago that he may not be in a position to accept the invitation to attend this important event due to schedule issues".
This means the decision was made before violent anti-Beijing protests in and around Tibet last month that were suppressed by a heavy security presence.
Security cocoon
The Olympic flame is being relayed around the world through 20 countries before it arrives in Beijing in August for the Games' opening ceremony.
The torch's progress has been beset by protests - especially on the London, Paris and San Francisco legs of its tour.
Several thousand police and other guards are to line the planned 13km (eight mile) route of the torch through Buenos Aires.
Map of planned world torch relay route
Argentine activists say their protests will be peaceful but have promised "surprises".
Groups upset over China's human rights record have been trying to put pressure on Beijing as it readies to host the Olympics for the first time.
The protests along the international torch route have meant that torch-bearers have been immersed in a cocoon of security, surrounded by dozens of police officers and Chinese guards in blue track-suits.
In Paris, the torch had to be extinguished three times because of safety concerns, while in London there were 37 arrests.
The US stage of the torch relay in San Francisco on Wednesday passed off amid confusion and tight security
The decision was due to "schedule issues" and had been made months ago, said UN spokeswoman, Marie Mukabe.
Meanwhile, Buenos Aires is braced for Friday's Olympic torch relay after anti-China protests in other cities.
Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai has withdrawn from the torch relay's Tanzanian leg, due to concerns over human rights in China.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan said the UN was anxious not to give impression that Mr Ban's absence was a boycott of the Games.
Ms Mukabe said Mr Ban "had conveyed to the [Chinese] government some months ago that he may not be in a position to accept the invitation to attend this important event due to schedule issues".
This means the decision was made before violent anti-Beijing protests in and around Tibet last month that were suppressed by a heavy security presence.
Security cocoon
The Olympic flame is being relayed around the world through 20 countries before it arrives in Beijing in August for the Games' opening ceremony.
The torch's progress has been beset by protests - especially on the London, Paris and San Francisco legs of its tour.
Several thousand police and other guards are to line the planned 13km (eight mile) route of the torch through Buenos Aires.
Map of planned world torch relay route
Argentine activists say their protests will be peaceful but have promised "surprises".
Groups upset over China's human rights record have been trying to put pressure on Beijing as it readies to host the Olympics for the first time.
The protests along the international torch route have meant that torch-bearers have been immersed in a cocoon of security, surrounded by dozens of police officers and Chinese guards in blue track-suits.
In Paris, the torch had to be extinguished three times because of safety concerns, while in London there were 37 arrests.
The US stage of the torch relay in San Francisco on Wednesday passed off amid confusion and tight security
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