China to Olympic boss: "Shut up about human rights." . . . .oh, this is going to end well.

[Bluebear]

BEIJING (AFP) - China bluntly told the world Olympics chief Thursday to keep out of politics, in a tart exchange on human rights following days of protests that have shadowed the Olympic torch around the world.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said the Games were in "crisis" following the demonstrations, and urged China to respect its pledge to improve its rights record before the event begins in August.

China fired back that Rogge should keep politics out of the Olympics, which Beijing hoped would showcase its much-touted "peaceful rise" to power -- but which have instead become a public relations nightmare...

A taciturn Rogge, on a visit to the host country, admitted he was "saddened" that these Olympics, dogged by protests over Tibet and calls for a boycott, were not simply a global celebration of sport. It was "not the joyous party that we had wished it to be," Rogge said in Beijing, nevertheless insisting that the torch relay -- disrupted by protests in Greece, London, Paris and San Francisco -- would go on.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080410/ts_afp/chinaunresttibetrightsoly2008_080410163916

[WolverineDG]

1. And what did they expect when they selected Beijing?

:shrug:

dg

[DJ13]

2. $$$$$$$$ Talks

I suspect that was the main reason the committee thought China was a good choice.

[PVnRT]

5. That they would "change" them

There was a great piece about this on NPR a few days ago. When the 1988 games were awarded to Seoul, the country moved from a dictatorship to a democracy, and some on the selection committee were hoping for the same thing in China, which was just foolish.

Apparently, the vote was very close - Beijing squeaked by with less than 60% of the vote.

[thereismore]

3. I am in favor of a full boycott of the games. We boycotted Moscow didn't we. nt

[monmouth]

4. I wonder what TV network got stuck with this one. I feel sorry for the kids

who have been working and training so hard but geez, I wouldn't want my kid over there....