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Controversies Continue over China, Ethics, and the Olympics

Apr 7th, 2008 • Posted in: News

Stories include calls for full or partial boycotts and the jailing of another Chinese dissident for criticizing government

VARIOUS DATELINES
Ethics in sports remains one of the year’s hottest topics, with lead stories last week focusing on the implications of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games in China, a nation widely criticized for human rights abuses. Among the stories:

• The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week said he sees no momentum among governments for a boycott of the coming Olympics and said the IOC has no regrets about making Beijing the venue, according to reports from the Voice of America and the Sydney Morning Herald. According to the Herald report, IOC president Jacques Rogge maintains that China’s policies toward Tibet have no bearing on the Olympic agenda.
• Hu Jia, an activist widely regarded as a symbol of China’s determination to crack down on pre-Olympic dissent, last week was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for criticizing the government and for speaking to foreign reporters, according to a report from the McClatchy News Service. Critics are characterizing the sentence as the latest sign that Chinese officials see the run-up to the Olympics as a dangerous period in which protest should be harshly dealt with in order to send a signal to dissenters, according to the report.
• On Monday, French security officials “snuffed out the Olympic torch and carried it through Paris in the safety of a bus at least five times … before canceling the final run of a relay” following intense protests against China’s human rights record, notes the Associated Press. That record has been in the spotlight lately amid harsh crackdowns by the Chinese government against protests that began in Tibet, sparking international criticism. Chinese leaders last week called on Tibetan officials to crack down on protestors who may try to disrupt plans to take the Olympic flame to the Top of Mount Everest, Bloomberg reports.
• France is embroiled in one of the most vocal debates over a possible boycott of the opening ceremony, but as the CBC reports an alternative protest is gathering steam: A group of French athletes plans to wear a badge supporting human rights in Tibet. The badge would feature the slogan “Pour un monde meilleur,” meaning “for a better world.”
• A prominent political leader in Britain has called on prime minister Gordon Brown to boycott the Olympics’ August 8 opening ceremony in protest of China’s human rights record, the BBC reports. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the prime minister could not attend the event “in good conscience.” Brown says he will not boycott the ceremony.
• A new poll in Canada says only one eighth of Canadians favor a full boycott of the Olympics, though a strong majority would endorse some less-drastic form of protest. The survey, conducted by the Canadian Press news service and the Harris-Decima agency, is in sync with the current response from the Canadian government, which steadfastly has avoided discussing a possible boycott.
• Fifteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives last week urged president Bush not to attend the games at all. CNN reports that the call followed an earlier comment from House speaker Nancy Pelosi urging the president to skip the opening ceremony. While Bush has vowed to protest human rights violations with Chinese leaders, he has resisted the notion of a boycott of any portions of the event. On Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton joined the calls for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony.
• China, meanwhile, continues to tell the United States and other nations to stay out of its affairs and not mix politics with sport. The government-run People’s Daily quotes a high official as condemning House speaker Pelosi’s remarks, urging “political figures in the U.S. to respect the spirit and principles of the Olympic Games, adopt a responsible attitude toward the Games and the torch relay, and not to do anything that is against people’s aspirations.”

Sources: AP, Mar. 7 — AP, Mar. 7 — BBC, Apr. 5 — Voice of America, Apr. 5 — Sydney Morning Herald, Apr. 5 — CBC, Apr. 5 — Canadian Press, Apr. 5 — McClatchy News Service, Apr. 5 — CNN, Apr. 1.

For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Mar. 24 — Related Newsline story, Mar. 24 — Related Newsline story, Feb. 25 — Related Newsline story, Feb. 18 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 22.

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2 Responses »

1. Ethics Newsline » Research Report » Poll: “70% Believe IOC Was Wrong to Award Olympic Games to China” on April 14th, 2008 at 9:28 pm:

   [...] For more information, see: Full press release from Zogby, Apr. 7 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 7.  Print This Story  Email This [...]

2. Ethics Newsline » News » High-Tech Swimsuit Topples Speed Records, Causes Waves on April 14th, 2008 at 9:31 pm:

   [...] more information, see: Related Newsline story, Apr. 7 — Related Newsline story, Mar. 24 — Related Newsline story, Mar. 24 [...]

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