IOC denies rift with Beijing on torch relay
The International Olympic Committee denied it was at odds with Beijing over the torch relay last night.
The central government said IOC president Jacques Rogge had 'exaggerated' his assessment of the flame's journey, which he said had left the 2008 Olympic Games in 'crisis' because of the protests dogging the torch relay.
At the IOC's ongoing and tense executive board meeting in the capital, he urged Beijing to honour pledges to improve human rights.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu later said Dr Rogge's view of a 'crisis' might have been 'exaggerated' - and then made it clear Beijing would not engage in a discussion over its human rights policies. 'I believe IOC officials support the Beijing Olympics and adherence to the Olympic Charter of not bringing in any irrelevant political factors,' she said. 'I hope IOC officials continue to adhere to the principles of the Olympic Charter.'
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said last night the 'partnership' remained strong despite evidence of strain after a tumultuous week in which the Olympics' image had been battered. 'It's a matter of opinion [whether the Olympics is in crisis], and the Foreign Ministry is entitled to its own view,' she told the South China Morning Post.
'Mr Rogge used that word this morning but also said the challenges should not be compared with those faced by the Olympics in the past.' She said relations were very good between the IOC and Beijing, adding: 'We keep the relationship direct, and we are comfortable with this.'
Earlier yesterday, after hundreds of baton-wielding police shielded the Olympic torch through San Francisco to avoid the chaos of earlier legs in London and Paris, Dr Rogge said he was still confident Beijing would host a successful Olympics in August.
He said he was saddened by the violent protests in London and Paris but believed the San Francisco leg had been an improvement and that the relay would not be cut short. 'It was, however, not the joyous party that we had wished it to be,' he said at a joint meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees and the IOC's executive board.
He said sports leaders should seek to reassure athletes - and warn them of abusing the Olympic Charter by confusing freedom of expression with propaganda. 'Tell them that whatever they have seen and heard, the Games will be very well organised. Tell them that we will rebound from this current crisis.'
Dr Rogge also recalled how more than seven years ago Beijing officials had promised to 'advance the social agenda of China, including human rights' if it was awarded the 2008 Olympics. 'This is what I would call a moral engagement rather than a juridical one ... we definitely ask China to respect this moral engagement.'
