Accessibility links

Breaking News
News

Olympic Chief Sees No Momentum for Beijing Olympic Boycott

update

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge says he sees no momentum among governments to boycott the summer games in Beijing following China's crackdown on anti-government protesters in Tibet.

Rogge said Saturday that the IOC has no regrets about awarding the 2008 games to China.

But Rogge says the IOC Executive Committee will review a new report from the human rights group Amnesty International in the coming days.

Amnesty International said Tuesday that the Olympic Games have so far failed to act as a catalyst for reform in China. The group accused Beijing of committing serious rights violations in recent weeks.

A French human rights official says French President Nicolas Sarkozy may decide later this year to boycott the opening Olympic ceremony because of the Chinese crackdown in Tibet.

But Human Rights Minister Rama Yade now denies earlier reports that she said the French President would set conditions that China must meet before he attends the games.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Saturday again ruled out boycotting the Beijing Olympics.

Mr. Brown says even Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, opposes a boycott. The prime minister says the current crisis in Tibet could only be ended through dialogue and urged "restraint" on both sides.

Mr. Brown's comments came on the eve of Sunday's Olympic torch relay through London, site of the 2012 Olympics.

Separately, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders says it has obtained an internal memo about Tibet circulated within the International Olympic Committee.

The media rights group says the document circulated by IOC chief Jacques Rogge lays out a communication strategy for dealing with criticism of the Chinese government's crackdown on Tibet and Chinese human rights activists.

The 11-page memo is reported to have given IOC staff a list of China's human rights improvements to balance criticism from various countries and international groups.

The IOC has not confirmed the document's authenticity.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

XS
SM
MD
LG