Beijing Olympics 2008

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi here on Thursday that he opposed any action to mingle the Olympics with politics.
Ban stated, during his meeting with Wang Yi, special envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao, at the sideline of the UN Security Council high-level meeting on peace and security in Africa that the United Nations and he himself spare no effort in supporting the Beijing Olympics.
With the support of the Chinese government and Chinese people, the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing will be successful, and will serve as a platform for promoting world peace, harmony and cooperation as well as the mutual understanding of people from different countries, the UN chief said.
Wang said Beijing Olympics is highly expected not only by the Chinese people, but also by people all over the world.
He stressed that any attempt to sabotage the grand sport gala goes against the will of the majority of the international community.
Wang believed that the Beijing Olympic Games will be of great success.
Ban also discussed with Wang the cooperation between China and the United Nations, the issue of Darfur, the situation in Myanmar and the issue of non-proliferation on Korean Peninsula.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge on Tuesday condemned violent protests that target the Beijing Olympic torch relay, saying violence is by no means acceptable.
“The IOC definitely wants and wishes for the Olympic flame to be respected, because it is a very important symbol that unites people,” Rogge told Chinese reporters.
“We respect people who want to protest. This is the freedom of speech, freedom of expression. However, if you want to protest, it has to be peaceful,” added the IOC chief.
Despite disruptions by a few Tibetan separatists and their supporters during the London and Paris legs of the Olympic torch relay, there will be no change in the itinerary which includes carrying the flame to the highest peak on Earth, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) said.
The flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, on March 24 and is being relayed through 21 cities outside the Chinese mainland before being carried into the opening ceremony on August 8.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

A Beijing Olympic official has strongly condemned the disruption of the Olympic torch relay in Paris by a very small number of “Tibet independence” secessionists and a handful of so-called human rights-minded NGO activists.
A spokesman of the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee said on Monday that the serious incident clearly showed that “Tibet independence” secessionists have been disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games in a planned, premeditate and organized way.
What the separatists have been doing are far from “peaceful” demonstrations, but attempts to foil the smooth relay of the Beijing Olympic torch through violent means, and has thus blasphemed the Olympic spirit, he said.
France is the hometown of Pierre De Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, said the spokesman. The large number of Paris residents turning out to welcome the Olympic sacred flame showed that the flame belongs to the people of the whole world.
The “Tibet independence” separatists’ malicious and open challenge of the Olympic spirit and the Olympic Charter has proved unpopular and is bound to fail, he said.
The Beijing Olympic Games is not only a grand event for the Chinese people, but also for people all over the world. It bears great significance for glorifying the Olympic spirit, spreading the Olympic culture and promoting the development of the Olympic Games, said the official, adding that the Beijing Olympic torch relay will surely win wide support from all peace-loving people across the world, and will not be thwarted by any force.

from: xinhuanet.com 

More countries have voiced their opposition to the boycott of Beijing Olympics.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday that the Olympic Games are an important sporting occasion and is of great significance to the world.
He confirmed he will represent Britain at the Beijing Olympics and will be present at the welcoming ceremony when the Beijing Olympic flame arrives in London on Sunday.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said his government opposes a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games and representatives of Denmark’s royal family and government will attend the event in August.
“Sports must not be confused with politics,” he said, adding that Denmark should send official delegates to Beijing in support of its athletes’ participation in the Olympics.
Earlier, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller told reporters when attending a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Slovenia that it is wrong to threaten to boycott the Olympics and a boycott will deeply hurt the Chinese people.
Last Friday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said a boycott of Beijing Olympics is pointless. According to Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic’s spokesman Marek Trubac, the president believes sport has to tie not to divide and a boycott will only hurt athletes.
Also last Friday, Miguel Angel Moratinos, Spanish minister of foreign affairs and cooperation said that his country will be present at the Beijing Olympics in August.
“The Olympic Games are the best platform to eliminate controversies and crises and to start dialogue and so we shouldn’t be boycotting them,” he told reporters in EU foreign ministers meeting in Slovenia, noting that Spain is not in favor of a boycott.
Last Wednesday, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said he does not believe “a boycott of the Olympics is a sensible or the right thing to do,” and his country will not boycott the Beijing Olympics.
He added that the Olympics should be used to facilitate China’s engagement with other countries. The Olympics are a chance to put the spotlight on China but also to enhance China’s engagement with the international community, he said.

from: xinhuanet.com 

Most people in France believe their country should attend the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, according to a poll by Ifop published in L’Equipe. 60 per cent of respondents think France should not boycott the games to protest China’s human rights record and recent events in Tibet.
In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was established as a one-party state. In the 1980s, the ruling Communist Party of China (ZGD) loosened a series of authoritarian restrictions and allowed private enterprise for the first time in decades. The country currently has one of the world’s fastest growing economies, becoming a global exporter and a very attractive venue for foreign investors.
China’s human rights record has remained a concern. Several campaigners claim the communist regime continues to torture and execute people. The country’s rule over Tibet has also been a point of contention.
Earlier this month, Reporters Without Borders called on heads of state and governments to boycott the opening ceremonies of this year’s Olympic Games as a way to underline China’s poor treatment of human rights. Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin agrees with the idea, and has called on French president Nicolas Sarkozy to second it. 54 per cent of respondents would agree with French leaders boycotting the opening ceremony of the games.
On Mar. 25, French swimmer Alain Bernard discussed his views, saying, “Boycott the opening ceremony, why not? It would be a huge message from the politicians. Boycotting is a very delicate question. As a sportsman, we will have an important role to play because what we are going to produce there, our results, will attract the eyes of the world. After that side of things, boycotting becomes a political decision. It is very delicate for us.”
Also on Mar. 25, Daniel Bilalian, director of sports at France Televisions, said the network may boycott coverage of the Beijing Olympics if China bans the broadcast of footage from demonstrations against the games.

Polling Data

Due to China’s human rights record and recent events in Tibet, there have been some discussions about boycotting the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Should France boycott the Beijing 2008 Olympics?

Yes 39%
No 60%
Not sure 1%

If France takes part in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, do you think French leaders should boycott the opening ceremony?

Yes 54%
No 45%
Not sure 1%

Source: Ifop / L’Equipe
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,007 French adults, conducted on Mar. 20 and Mar. 21, 2008. No margin of error was provided.
from: angus-reid.com