BEIJING 2008: Sports ministers oppose Beijing Olympics boycott

EU sports ministers and Olympic committees say they oppose a boycott of the Beijing Games over the handling of the Tibet protests.

The ministers, holding talks yesterday, say sports should not be linked to such a political issue and that previous Olympic boycotts have already shown what limited impact they have.

Slovenian Sports Minister Milan Zver, who is chairing a meeting of top EU sports officials from the 27 member states and Olympic committees, said ``I am against a boycott of the Olympic Games in China.''

His sentiments were echoed by other Olympic committees.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said in a statement yesterday that Australia endorses the International Olympic Committee (IOC) position that boycotting the Beijing Games would achieve nothing -- apart from disadvantaging athletes.

"The Olympic Games have shown by example the benefits of bringing together people from all races and religions to practice sport in a spirit of friendship and fair play," Coates said. "It is not the role of the IOC to take the lead in addressing such issues as human rights or political matters."