The International Olympic Comm-ittee (IOC) has rejected an attempt by Tibet to field its own team at next year's Beijing Olympics.
More than 100 Tibet supporters -- including some Buddhist monks -- waved banners and Tibetan flags outside the IOC headquarters yesterday, as delegates from the unofficial Tibetan National Olympic Committee met with the organization's officials to discuss the request.
"The IOC is not in a position to accept our application," said Wangpo Tethong, a president of the Tibetan group.
A senior IOC official who took part in the meeting said a rule change in 1996 meant only national committees from countries recognized by the international community can take part in the Olympics.
However, the IOC has granted a special exemption to the Palestinian territories.
Taiwan competes as "Chinese Taipei" because its national committee was recognized before 1996, said Michel Filliau, who directs the IOC's relations with national committees.
Beijing dismissed outright the request from Tibet, which has been controlled by China since 1951.
"Tibet is part of China's territory," the Beijing organizing committee said yesterday in a statement. "The possibility of participating in the Beijing Olympics as a separate group does not exist."
Tibet is one of several delicate issues that Olympic officials are having to deal with in the run-up to next year's games.
Worries over Beijing's high air pollution, reporting restrictions for foreign journalists and criticism of China's human rights record have also forced the IOC to engage in diplomacy ahead of the Olympics.
Also See: Beijing 2008: Beijing launches revised Olympic ticketing system
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday homered for the fifth consecutive game, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record. Yankees star Aaron Judge was the last player to homer in five consecutive games, accomplishing that feat last year. Ohtani, who leads the National League with 37 home runs, homered in the first inning off Minnesota Twins starter Chris Paddack. He hit a slow curveball 134m to center. He carried the bat midway down the first-base line and then did a bat flip. He did not hit a home run later in the game with the Dodgers trailing, but his presence was felt. With two outs
Ben O’Connor won Thursday’s monster Alpine stage to the ski resort of Courchevel as three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar responded to attacks from Jonas Vingegaard and dropped him to cement his grip on the yellow jersey. With just three stages left before the race ends in Paris, Pogacar looks poised to retain his title, with a comfortable lead of more than 4 minutes over Vingegaard, a two-time champion. Stage 18 featured three extremely difficult ascents, including the 26.4km climb of the Col de La Loze to the finish. At 2,304m, La Loze is the highest summit in this year’s Tour. Two
RSS