Olympic Chiefs Deny Bowing to China on Tibet

Senior Olympic officials denied bowing to Chinese government pressure yesterday after an influential International Olympic Committee body watered down calls for Beijing to find a negotiated solution to the conflict in Tibet. The controversy emerged as the IOC president, Jacques Rogge, held talks with the Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, prompting speculation that the Olympic movement had backed off in deference to Beijing's sensitivities.

Disquiet over the political fallout from recent violence in Tibet has dominated a meeting of the Olympic movement in China's capital this week, with the calamitous international torch relay fueling concern among IOC members.

Tensions emerged publicly as the Association of National Olympic Committees, the body that governs the 205 competing nations, included a reference to Tibet in a draft resolution due to be debated by its members and the IOC executive board today.

In the final draft released yesterday, however, the reference to Tibet had been removed, leading to speculation that the IOC had caved in to pressure from Beijing. The original draft urged China to find "a fair and reasonable solution to the internal conflict that affects the Tibet region". The statement released yesterday was much milder. In the new wording, Anoc stated "its confidence that the government of the People's Republic of China shall strive to find, through dialog and understanding, a fair and reasonable solution to the internal conflict for the benefit of the Games and the athletes".

Mario Vázquez Raña, the president of Anoc, denied that the organization had been pressured to make the change and insisted that the redrafted motion did not demonstrate a "lack of independence". He claimed that Anoc's lawyers had advised him that in making reference to Tibet the IOC risked breaching its oft-stated position that it does not interfere in national politics.

"That is my mistake, I drafted the text," the Mexican said. "I was the author. It was not drafted by lawyers and in the first draft Tibet was mentioned. Then comments were made that this would be interfering in the internal affairs of the country."

The embarrassing episode comes as the IOC and its president face increasing international pressure over its accommodation with China as Olympic hosts. The relay has been a PR disaster for China and the IOC, with significant numbers of protesters in London, Paris and San Francisco turning out in defiance of IOC claims that the torch is not a political symbol.

Beijing is determined to press ahead despite the disastrous reception the torch has received so far. The IOC is to review the policy of staging international relays and is expected to abandon them before the Games come to London in 2012. No formal decision is expected until after the Beijing Games this summer.

The IOC would not comment on the substance of Rogge's discussions with the Chinese prime minister and he is unlikely to have raised the issue of Tibet directly with his hosts.

In an interview with Belgian television aired yesterday, Rogge said such a move would be counterproductive. "If you know China, you know that mounting the barricades and using tough language will have the opposite effect," he said. "China will close itself off from the rest of the world, which, don't forget, it has done for some 2,000 years." Rogge's position will disappoint many who believe the Olympics provide a perfect opportunity to draw China into a more constructive dialog over human rights and other issues.

Political issues are likely to raise their head again today when the practical implications of the Olympic charter for athletes' freedom of speech in China are discussed. The British Olympic Association was condemned for including a clause banning athletes from discussing political issues in its contract for Beijing, and several athletes have pledged to use the Games as a platform to comment on China. According to the charter, no "political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas".

The BOA subsequently scrapped the clause, and its chairman, Lord Moynihan, has been appointed to the IOC's international relations commission.