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Olympic chiefs blast boycott opportunists

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OLYMPIC chiefs yesterday branded as hypocrites world leaders who had threatened a potential boycott of the Beijing opening ceremony.

In its fiercest response yet to controversy over China`s human rights record, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday condemned politicians who had linked the Games to issues such as the occupation of Tibet but were happy to do business with Beijing.

And it cited Australia`s Aboriginal human rights record as an issue that the IOC deliberately avoided as Sydney prepared to host the 2000 Olympics.

Senior IOC member Hein Verbruggen, who heads the Co-ordination Commission that is overseeing Beijing`s Games preparations, yesterday said he was fed up with politicians securing lucrative contracts with China on one hand, and publicly linking the Games with human rights on the other.

"I have very little admiration for politicians who come to China and sign big economic contracts and three or four months later say we may not come to the Opening Ceremony," Mr Verbruggen said.

Mr Verbruggen`s remarks could be seen as a thinly-veiled swipe at French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who visited Beijing last November but last month signalled he may not attend the Opening Ceremony because of China`s human rights record.

The spectre of a boycott, which has become a real possibility following last month`s Tibetan riots, has emerged as the biggest threat to Beijing`s hopes of dazzling the world with a spectacular Games on August 8.

Adding fuel to the fire is the push, led by French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil, to wear a green ribbon during the games in protest against China`s human rights record.

Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games secretary general Wei Wang defended China`s human rights record and insisted events in Tibet had been misreported.

He added that world leaders would attend the Games not to honour hosts China but to cheer on their nation`s athletes.

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