[The Telegraph, U.K.]

Liberation, France

Our Leaders and Athletes

Must Do More for Tibet …

"Heads of state could threaten to boycott the opening ceremonies if the massacres in Lhasa continue, and if the repression across the country doesn't diminish."

By François Sergent

Translated By Philippe Guittard

March 19, 2008

France - Liberation - Original Article (France)

By choosing China to host the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), so obsessed with "sports ideals," couldn't have made a more political choice. China itself has made its Games a political issue, the symbol of its power, its economic dynamism and its regional hegemony. For its part, the IOC defends itself against any interference. It's as indifferent to the plight of the Tibetans as it was to that of the Jews of Berlin in 1936. This is an untenable position. Especially since the apparatchiks of the "Olympic movement" made such beautiful promises when China was awarded the event. The Games should be a "force for good."

We know that in recent months, in addition to the deaths in Tibet, hundreds of journalists, Netsurfers and activists have been detained.

What can we do? Boycotting the Games, which has been rejected by NGOs and the Dalai Lama, is no solution. That would isolate the regime again and penalize its people. But it remains that in between extreme censure and political indifference, there is room to maneuver. The heads of state could threaten to boycott the opening ceremonies if the massacres in Lhasa continue, and if the repression across the country doesn't diminish.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

Athletes also have a role to play. Sport is not a bubble outside of society and its difficulties. This is not to say that the duties of human rights activists should be imposed on our athletes. Just that they should be involved and informed citizens. Like the billions of spectators and TV viewers that will cheer their exploits this summer.

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US March 19, 4:09am]