A Japanese craftsman whose iron balls were used by all the shot-put medalists at the three previous Olympics says he is boycotting the Beijing Games amid human rights concerns.
“Let me make it clear — China is not qualified to host the Olympics,” 75-year-old Masahisa Tsujitani said yesterday, adding that neglecting human rights and hosting a peaceful sports event was a contradiction.
“I think a great deal of my shots, which have my true heart in them. I’m sorry for athletes but this is about my pride as a craftsman,” he said by telephone from his workshop near Tokyo.
Tsujitani said he had already decided in November not to send his shots to Beijing after seeing the booing of Japanese soccer players and anti-Japanese rallies in China in the past few years.
After the Chinese crackdown on recent unrest in Tibet, “I have renewed my conviction that I made the right decision,” he said.
Tsujitani has been making shots for four decades and is believed to be the world’s only person who produces them manually with a conventional lathe. Other shots are made using computer-controlled machines.
All gold, silver and bronze medallists for the men’s shot-put competition used his balls at the 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens games. Local media said a lack of his balls could shorten records at the upcoming contest.
Tsujitani said he had received more than 100 messages about his decision, with only one asking him to change his mind for the sake of shot-putters.
“Others are all backing my decision,” he said.
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