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Mark O'Neill

The issue of China's human rights record dominated the final day of public presentations by the five cities vying to host the 2008 Olympic Games, to be decided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) tonight.

Despite intense lobbying and a multimillion-dollar campaign, Beijing bid insiders yesterday said success was still far from certain.

Since Beijing established itself as the frontrunner late last year, its four rivals - Paris, Toronto, Osaka and Istanbul - have seen human rights as its Achilles' heel and attacked it.

But Beijing yesterday gave assurances that if it won the Games, the world's media would be given 'complete freedom'.

The competing cities each gave final press conferences yesterday. The issue of human rights was prominent at all of them.

John Bitove, chief executive of the Toronto bid committee, said: 'Ours is the Games of certainty. We live our ideals of human rights each day at home and abroad. Our police will respect the individual rights of all the people attending the Games.'

Jean Paul Huchon, a member of the Paris bid committee, said: 'Everyone knows the dossier of the human rights of the candidates. The IOC members must take the responsibility [for their decision] in all conscience.'

Claude Bebear, chief executive of the Paris bid, had earlier said that the Olympic charter obliged candidates to observe human rights and that nobody knew whether Beijing would be a safe venue in seven years.

Takafumi Isomura, Mayor of Osaka and chairman of its bid committee, was more circumspect. 'Every place has its own human rights problems, for reasons of history. In our case, we are working as best we can to resolve these problems.'

The human rights issue dominated the Beijing delegation's conference. One reporter asked whether visitors would be allowed to unfurl the flag of an independent Tibet should Beijing win.

'You are welcome to come to voice your opinions, according to our laws and regulations,' said Wang Wei, secretary-general of the Beijing bid committee. 'You can apply to demonstrate and the police will give you a time and place. A successful bid would improve all facets of life in China, including education, health and human rights.'

Another asked whether journalists would be allowed to report on Falun Gong, democracy activists and labour camps without fear of arrest and intimidation.

'We will give complete freedom to the media to report,' Mr Wang said. 'We have made guarantees to the bid committee.'

As she watched the proceedings, a member of the Chinese delegation reflected: 'Why is the West determined that we do not win? Why do all the reports say that we are a communist state and that communism is evil?'

Moscow police on Wednesday arrested a dozen members of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe who unfurled a banner opposing Beijing's bid on the Moscow River, opposite the World Trade Centre, where the IOC will vote tonight. The banner showed five bullet holes for the Olympic logo of five linked circles. Asked if Beijing had enough votes needed to win in the first ballot, a member of its team shook his head and said that lobbying would continue until the last minute.

'Who can predict the outcome when so many factors are in play - politics, sport, personal, human rights and interests of individual countries? Do you think members choose a city on its sporting merits?' he said.

Most people expect Beijing to come first in the first ballot, largely with votes from Asia, the former Soviet Union and Africa, but probably not enough to win outright. The bottom city would drop out, followed by a second ballot, with the process repeated until one city gets a majority.

Beijing's best chance is a victory in the first or second round. If the vote goes to a fourth round against Paris or Toronto, it could lose thanks to the preference votes of the last city eliminated.

The naming of the host city, to be made by Juan Antonio Samaranch in his final duty as president of the IOC, is due at about 10.30pm Hong Kong time and will be broadcast on TVB, ATV, RTHK and Phoenix Satellite.



Games bid faces rights hurdle