Olympics Chief: Games Facing "Crisis"

Officials Struggling To Find The Joy, U.N. Chief Says He Won't Make Opening Ceremonies

(AP)  Crisis. Disarray. Sadness.

Four months before the opening of what was supposed to be the grandest Olympics in history, the head of the International Olympic Committee is using words that convey anything but a sense of joyous enthusiasm.

The protest-marred Olympic torch relay and international criticism of China's policies on Tibet, Darfur and human rights have turned the Beijing Games into one of the most politically charged in recent history and presented the IOC with one of its toughest tests since the boycott era of the 1970s and '80s.

"It is a crisis, there is no doubt about that," IOC President Jacques Rogge said Thursday. "But the IOC has weathered many bigger storms."

At the same time, Rogge called on China to respect its "moral engagement" to improve human rights and to fulfill promises of greater media freedom. He also reaffirmed the right of free speech for athletes at the Beijing Games.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman responded that IOC officials support adhering to the Olympic Charter and "not bringing any irrelevant political factors into the Beijing Olympics."

"I hope the IOC officials will continue to adhere to the principles set by the Olympic charter," Jiang Yu said.

At the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told China's government that he may not attend the August's opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics because of scheduling issues, spokeswoman Marie Okabe said in a news conference.

Asked later whether Ban would not be attending the Olympics, spokeswoman Okabe said, "Yes. That's correct."

Rogge spoke in Beijing just hours after the completion of the torch relay in San Francisco, where the route was shortened and the flame diverted to prevent disruptions by massive crowds of anti-China protesters.

Rogge's use of the word "crisis" to describe the torch relay and the Beijing buildup came as a surprise. The Belgian orthopedic surgeon's comments usually are measured and low-key.

He cited previous crises - the attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the boycotts of the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Games.

"The history of the Olympic Games is fraught by a lot of challenges," Rogge said. "This is a challenge but you cannot compare to what we had in the past."

British IOC member Craig Reedie believes the worst is over.

"I hope that we are through it now," he said. "I think the furor that has affected the torch in London, Paris and to some extent in San Francisco will now die down. ... But it is fair to say that this kind of political protest is a new experience for the IOC and we have all found it extremely uncomfortable."

After the chaos caused by pro-Tibet demonstrators during torch relays in London and Paris, IOC officials were relieved the North American leg passed without any injuries.

"Fortunately, the situation was better in San Francisco," Rogge said. "It was, however, not the joyous party that we had wished it to be.

"Athletes in many countries are in disarray and we need to reassure them," he added. "Our major responsibility is to offer them the games they deserve. ... We have 120 days to achieve this."

Earlier in the week, IOC officials had contemplated possibly cutting short the international leg of the relay, but Rogge said Thursday that was not an option.

"This scenario is definitely not on the agenda," he said. "We are studying together with (Beijing organizers) to improve the torch relay, but there is no scenario of either interrupting or bringing (the torch) back directly to Beijing."

That doesn't mean, however, that local officials still might not shorten existing routes if security demands it.

Already, the head of the committee organizing the torch run in Indonesia said the route will be significantly shortened because of Chinese concerns it might attract pro-Tibet protests.

Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang said officials may tweak the torch relay route to ensure order when the flame arrives April 30. He said 3,000 police will be deployed.

The flame will be carried through Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Friday, with a dozen other countries still to come. The relay also is expected to face demonstrations in New Delhi, India, which has a substantial Tibetan population, and possibly elsewhere on its 21-stop tour before arriving in mainland China on May 4. The Olympics begin Aug. 8.

Rogge, who has come under pressure from critics to speak out on China, was asked whether he had second thoughts about awarding the games to Beijing seven years ago.

"I've said that it is very easy with hindsight to criticize the decision," he said. "It's easy to say now that this was not a wise and a sound decision."

But Rogge insisted Beijing had "clearly the best bid" and offered the strong pull of taking the Olympics to a country with one-fifth of the world's population.

"That was the reasoning for awarding the bid to Beijing."

When Beijing was seeking the games, Rogge noted, Chinese officials said the Olympics would help advance social change, including human rights. He called that a "moral engagement" and stressed there was no "contractual promise whatsoever" on human rights in the official host city contract.

"I would definitely ask China to respect this moral engagement," Rogge said, in one of his most pointed comments on the subject.

Rogge reported having "very frank and open discussions" with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on a range of Olympic issues Wednesday. He declined to elaborate.

Rogge insisted that "a number of important points have been met" on human rights, including a new Chinese law enacted in 2007 that removed many restrictions on foreign journalists. But he said the law had not been fully implemented and he was urging Chinese officials to do so "as soon as possible."

Rogge refused to be drawn on the prospect of top world leaders snubbing the Beijing opening ceremony. Besides Ban, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not be attending the opening, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy is considering staying away. U.S. Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have called on President Bush to boycott the ceremony.

"Politicians have to make their decisions themselves," Rogge said. "The IOC will not intervene in this matter."

Rogge sought to reassure athletes that they are free to express their political opinions - as long as they do so away from official Olympic venues in Beijing.

Rogge said free expression has been enshrined in the Olympic Charter for more than 40 years as a "basic human right." However, the charter also forbids any "demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda" in any Olympic sites or venues.

"I'm very clear on the fact that athletes have ample opportunities to express themselves without hindrance, but just by respecting the sacred environment of the Olympic village, the Olympic venues the podium and so forth," he said.

[glock4me]

Maybe they should add some football (the real American kind, not that wimpy rest-of-the-world kind) to kick the olympics up a notch. Bam!! Imagine the damage that our best players would do to, say, India, France, or Switzerland.

[gce65]

China''s leaders are criminals! (CREE-mee-nohls)
China''s leaders have disgraced their ancestors.
China''s leaders are eaters of turtle slime.

[gce65]

The International Olympic Committee cannot simply hitch its fortunes to any country willing to host the Games. In China''s case we see the prestige of the IOC diminished greatly because they refuse to acknowledge China''s human rights failures openly. can''t sweep this one under the rug, Mr Rogge.
China has egg on its face and so does the IOC.

[beehive21-2009]

The IOC folks dropped the ball,awarding the Olympics to commie world ? The world has lots of stable governments an the IOC chooses a band of flakes.

"... the reasoning for awarding the bid to Beijing." was Beijing had "clearly the best bid" and offered the strong pull of taking the Olympics to a country with one-fifth of the world''s population. =====

None of that has changed. What happens in Tibet is "politics irrelevant to the Olympic Charter." If we are so concerned we just have to do something why don''t we snub the Presidential elections in our own country? Keep Bush and Cheney another four years! That would really show THEM.

[heraldtkel]

With the world going to hell in a hand basket as fast as it is, who cares about this useless event? take our poll www.theoandavirus.com

[erasmus6]

AJMarine1

''''I think it will have a major impact in China, and on the whole, a positive impact..."

Let''s hope.:)

[erasmus6]

"Killing or beating dogs are brutal, but I believe they are individual cases." Posted by MoonFace6

No, it wasn''t. I think it was because there had been a few cases of rabies and the police went around and started beating all the dogs to death. They were beating them right in front of their owners. I mean haven''t they heard of rabies shots?

[erasmus6]

"Please, don''''t confuse the police state with the actual common people in China." Posted by speakinup

I know it wasn''t the common people, I am not blaming them.

"I can''''t speak to the situation on the pigs. But, would raw sewage fatten them, or kill them ? "

They said it was to help fatten them, just before they slaughtered them. If it killed them, I doubt they would care.

[ajmarine1]

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