The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday said that it is not a “super world government” that can resolve political issues in China ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games next year, even though rights advocates say that it has ignored Tibetan and Uighur claims of human rights violations.
Beijing is to become the first city to host summer and winter Games next year after also staging the 2008 summer Games, but the IOC has been criticized for awarding the winter Olympics to China, given the country’s human rights record.
Representatives of Tibetan and Hong Kong groups as well as the world’s largest group of exiled ethnic Uighurs earlier on Friday said that the IOC had not acted on their concerns after meeting them in October last year.
Photo: Reuters
They also said that any assurances from China to the IOC were of no value.
“We are taking this very seriously,” IOC president Thomas Bach told a news conference when asked specifically about claims of rights violations in China.
“Human rights and labor rights and others are and will be part of the host city contract,” he said.
“We are working very closely with the organizing committee,” Bach said at the end of a virtual IOC session.
“We are monitoring supply chains, labor rights, freedom of press and many other issues. This is our responsibility,” he said.
The US earlier on Friday condemned China’s abuse of ethnic and religious minorities, including what it called “crimes against humanity and genocide” in Xinjiang against Muslim Uighurs and severe restrictions in Tibet.
“We are not a super world government where the IOC could solve or even address issues for which not a United Nations security council, no G7, no G20 has a solution,” Bach said.
“This is in the remit of politics. We have to live up to our responsibilities in our areas of responsibility,” he said.
China rejects US charges that it has committed genocide against Uighur and other Muslims in the remote western region, where rights groups say that more than 1 million are held in internment camps.
Beijing says that the complexes it set up in Xinjiang provide vocational training to help stamp out Islamist extremism and separatism.
Allegations of forced labor and human rights violations are “groundless rumors and slander,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.
Bach on Friday also pleaded that there be no boycott of the Winter Games, saying that such a move would only punish athletes.
The IOC is politically neutral and it is up to governments to live up to their responsibilities, he said.
“People must learn from history,” Bach said.
“The boycott of the Olympic Games has never achieved anything,” he said, citing a boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. “The Soviet army withdrew in 1989, so it really served nothing but punishing their own athletes and led to a counter-boycott in Los Angeles” in 1984.
Additional reporting by AFP
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care