News and Views on Tibet

China’s human rights record unrelated to Beijing Olympics, says IOC

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Exile Tibetans stage boycott protests against China and IOC (Photo/EPA)

By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 14: A key official of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) John Coates has rejected calls to postpone or boycott the upcoming games, as he claimed that China’s human rights record before the 2022 Beijing Winter Games is “not within” its organizational duties. Vice President John Coates on Wednesday brushed aside accusations of genocide against Uyghurs and other communities by the CCP.

 “We are not a world government. We have to respect the sovereignty of the countries who are hosting the games,” Coates addressed the press in Australia. Hundreds of human rights groups have accused the international committee for their complicity in human rights abuse in China. In July, four Tibetan organizations in Switzerland filed a complaint against the IOC with ‘National Contact Point’ in Bern over violating OECD guidelines by awarding China to be the host of Winter Olympics scheduled in February next year. 

“I know it [human rights] is a very important part of the fundamental principles of Olympism, the fundamental principles set out in the Olympic charter. The IOC’s remit is to ensure that there are no human rights abuse in respect of the conduct of the Games within the National Olympic Committees or within the Olympic movement,” the Vice President further remarked.

Human Rights Watch senior official Minky Worden noted in December last year, “The 2022 Games will take place in a human rights environment significantly worse than that of the 2008 Beijing Games. As those Games near, the IOC appears to have no plan in place to assess whether the Games themselves will cause or enable human rights violations.” Last month, over 200 right groups around the world urged 26 Olympic broadcasters including US based NBC to drop coverage of the Beijing Olympics on humanitarian grounds. 

3 Responses

  1. Typical stance of many people. They are only after the material profits and their own advantages. They predigt and place on the one hand the human right at the highest as invioable. But when it is for their own advantage and material profit and as long as they themselves are not affected, they have always have fible excuse to reach their aim.

  2. By wanting to go on with winter olympics in china, the ioc is legitimising ccp’s violations of human right abuses of Tibetans and Uyghurs and many other minority communities.

    The ioc also seem to turn a blind eye to the silent covid bomb that killed millions throughout the world. Just like who(WHO) the ioc too seem to have broken their ribs by ccp funding which is a disgrace for such a reputed committee.

    But than I also know ioc even held olympics in nazi Germany under hitler therefore you may be right in saying, “China’s human rights record unrelated to bejing olympics” but sure ccp economy relates very much to all business minded. Yes, everything boils down to that stinking economy. Isn’t it? What an uplifting spirit of olympics the committee hold! Yuck.

    Go on and play your game ioc.

  3. John Coates is right because no one from his family and IOC members suffered under the CCP regime. Human right means nothing to them. People only realize suffering and trauma when they attack on them. Until then peace and suffering are nothing against money or fame.

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