Censorship, Boycott Fears for Olympic Games

BRUSSELS/BEIJING, March
28: Amid calls from some European leaders for boycotts of the opening and
closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games this summer, the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) is said to be reaching out to Chinese authorities over
censorship concerns.

According to the Financial
Times, the IOC has asked China for
assurances that there will be no delays in the transmission of the games. The
move comes after French public broadcasting executives raised concerns about
the censorship of protests at the torch-lighting ceremony in Greece earlier in
the week. Broadcast of the ceremony was disrupted after members of the
Reporters Without Borders group threw a protest banner at Liu Qi, the president
of the Beijing Games Organizing Committee.

The FT indicates that France Télévisions executives have
taken the issue up with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), seeking a
guarantee from China that there will be no interruptions in live Olympics
coverage, even if protests persist. Monolo Romero, the chief executive of the
IOC’s Olympic Broadcasting Services subsidiary, is said to be in China for
talks with the Beijing organizing committee, which operates Beijing Olympic
Broadcasting with the IOC. Beijing Olympic Broadcasting will be providing the
TV feeds to outlets worldwide.

The turmoil in Tibet has
had human rights activists up in arms and placing pressure on the IOC. The
organization’s president, Jacques Rogge, issued a statement earlier this week
noting: “Awarding the Olympic Games to the most populous country in the world
will open up one-fifth of mankind to Olympism. We believe that China will
change by opening the country to the scrutiny of the world through the 25,000
media who will attend the games. The Olympic Games are a force for good. They
are a catalyst for change, not a panacea for all ills. NGOs and human rights
activists want to leverage the games and ask the IOC to act along by their
side. The IOC is undoubtedly respectful of human rights. The IOC respects NGOs
and activist groups and their causes, and speaks regularly with them—but
we are neither a political nor an activist organization. The events in Tibet
are a matter of great concern to the IOC. The IOC has already expressed the
hope that this conflict should be resolved peacefully as soon as possible.
Violence for whatever reason is contrary to the Olympic values and spirit. The
IOC will continue to respect human rights. The IOC will work tirelessly with
China for the welfare of the athletes and the success of the Olympic Games.”

According to published
reports, France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said this week that he will
consult with European Union leaders about the possibility of a boycott of the
opening ceremony. "At the time of the Olympics, I will be in the
presidency of the European Union, so I have to sound out and consult my fellow
members to see whether or not we should boycott.”

Meanwhile, foreign
ministers from across the E.U. are set to debate ideas for a response to China’s
crackdown in Tibet.

—By Mansha Daswani