Berlin (DPA)
Germany’s Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said that the Winter Olympics scheduled in the Chinese capital, Beijing, in less than two months, cannot change a country.
Speaking hours before the United States announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, scheduled for February 4-20, Bach said: “The Olympics cannot solve problems that have not been solved by generations of politicians.”
China is under attack from human rights organizations and politicians abroad over its handling of the Uighur minority, repression in Hong Kong and other issues.
The International Olympic Committee has faced criticism for remaining silent and for initially choosing Beijing to host the Winter Olympics.
“Our responsibility is to run the Olympic Games in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the Host City Contract, and to bring together athletes from 206 teams as well as the IRC team, under one roof,” said Thomas Bach.
Bach pledged: “non-discrimination, freedom of the press, an open internet, and freedom of expression for athletes. We are in close contact with the organizing committee.”
“But the IOC does not have the power and the means to change political systems,” he added. The political neutrality of the IOC and the Olympic Games applies here.”
Thomas Bach continued, “Expecting that the Olympics could bring about a fundamental change of a country, its political system or its laws, is a completely exaggerated expectation. The Olympics cannot solve problems that have not been solved by generations of politicians.”
But Bach added that the International Olympic Committee is focusing more on human rights in the amendments to the process of awarding hosting rights, starting with the recent selection of the Australian city of Brisbane to host the 2032 Olympics.
“We’ve made fundamental changes to the Olympic bid process,” Bach said. You can see in the Brisbane dossier assessment that human rights and social issues have a special role as of now.”
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