Games Hopeful Criticises China Over Darfur

A British Olympic hopeful has defied attempts by the British Olympic Association to stop athletes commenting on the political situation in China.

Richard Vaughan, a badminton player who competed in the Athens Olympics and hopes to make the British team for Beijing, has spoken out 24 hours after the BOA agreed to rewrite its athletes' contract for the games because of criticism of a gagging clause. The original contract prevented athletes from commenting on "politically sensitive" subjects.

Vaughan, who is ranked no 2 in the UK and needs to be no 1 to be selected for Beijing, as the British team is only taking one badminton player, said it was impossible to maintain a "polite silence" in relation to China. "As an athlete who hopes to compete in Beijing in 2008, I think it is crucial that we challenge China to uphold the Olympic spirit by defending human rights at a global level," Vaughan said.

"The people of Darfur have been openly persecuted and the conflict has cost the lives of 200,000 people. While many nations have tried to isolate Sudan by breaking economic ties, China has significantly backed the government of Sudan with trade, particularly in oil. It has major influence in Sudan and could help to end the suffering of millions of people affected by the conflict in the Darfur region. I appreciate it's a difficult position for the British Olympic Association, but it's very difficult to keep a polite silence about a conflict that continues to cost so many lives."

A spokesman for the BOA said its contracts only applied to the time athletes were attending the games, and that Vaughan's comments were a matter for him. Vaughan has lent his name to a letter from groups calling for an end to the violence in Darfur which will be delivered to the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, today.