Soccer legend Diego Maradona said on Tuesday he wished to stay at Beijing's Olympic Village with Argentine athletes as he had never participated in Olympic Games.

The Argentine 1980s soccer star, 47, added that he did not participate in the Beijing Olympic torch relay on Friday in capital Buenos Aires just because the local government officials and the Chinese representatives did not guarantee his presence in the Olympic Village.

"I would have participated in the torch relay if they had promised I could stay at the Olympic Village," said Maradona in a report granted to Channel 13 television.

He said he accepts basketball player Emanuel Ginobili's informal invitation to stay at the Beijing Olympic Village with his team, saying that "it is incredible to be among all the athletes."

"Ever since I was playing (soccer) in Italy, I said I wanted to go to the Olympic Games, they never called me, they never told me anything, but I did not want to demand nor propose anything because I was not healthy," said Maradona.

"Now that I am healthy I want to take up again my old philosophy of life," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2008)