Athletes denounce use of Olympics as political tool

With three months to go until the Beijing Olympics, athletes have asked world governments not to boycott the opening ceremony, arguing that there is no place for geopolitical conflicts at Games based on a spirit of respect, friendship and fair play.

The athletes’ commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has issued a passionate statement pleading for world leaders not to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics and calling for violent protests around the Olympic torch to be brought to an end.

According to the IOC, the participants discussed “the inappropriateness of manipulating and using athletes as political tools” as well as other ways to address this.

“We are all of the wholehearted belief that boycotts are pointless and senseless – and only hurt the athletes,” reads the statement, issued after the commission’s meeting on 24 April 2008. 

The athletes argue that the rationale by which Beijing was chosen as the host of 2008 Olympics back in 2001 “was a sound rationale then, and remains sound today”. They also believe that sport has provoked a growing understanding between China and the world over the past seven years of preparation for the Games. 

The commission stresses that athletes have trained for years for their moment in the limelight and “deserve to experience it without being burdened with geopolitical issues – no matter how important those issues might be”. 

They argue that world’s conflicts cannot be addressed by the Games as this would change the essence of “what we are there to do”, namely to compete in a spirit of respect, friendship and fair play. 

But the mood in Europe appears to be different. Earlier this month, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging EU leaders to boycott the opening ceremony in August unless China agrees to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled ‘spiritual leader’ (EURACTIV 11/04/08).

Several leaders, including Merkel and Brown, have already announced they will not be attending the opening ceremony (EURACTIV 26/03/08).

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