The Malta Olympic Committee expressed concern on the situation in Tibet but would not pronounce itself on whether a boycott of the Beijing Olympic games is justified, claiming its role is not that of an “activist organisation”.
“We are aware that a number of NGOs and Human Rights’ activists are asking the National Olympic Committees to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games… while we respect such movements and feelings, we have to state that we are neither a political nor an activist organisation,” MOC secretary-general Joseph Cassar told MaltaToday.
The spectre of a boycott was raised by human rights activists and radical Tibetan activists in response to the repression of protests in Tibet.
China blames the Dalai Lama for igniting violent protests to serve as a pretext for an international boycott of the games.
But the moderate Tibetan leader has distanced himself from calls to boycott the games. “The Chinese people... need to feel proud of the games. China deserves to be a host of the Olympic Games,” the Dalai Lama said last week.
Although no government is officially calling for a boycott and US President George Bush has already confirmed his participation in the opening ceremony of the games, several European politicians are not excluding the possibility of a boycott.
The President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering said European countries should not rule out threatening China with an Olympic boycott if violence continues in Tibet. “Beijing must decide itself, it should immediately negotiate with the Dalai Lama… If there continue to be no signals of compromise, I see boycott measures as justified.”
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also said the idea of skipping the August 8 opening ceremony to punish China for its crackdown on protests in Tibet was “interesting”.
The European Greens are calling on the International Olympic Committee to criticise, both publicly and in their meetings with the Chinese government, the brutal repression of the protests in Tibet and the persecution of human rights activists in other parts of China.
The Maltese sports world is not immune from the brewing controversy on the games. “The Malta Olympic Committee feels that the events in Tibet are a matter of great concern also to the sports loving world and we honestly hope that this conflict should be resolved peacefully as soon as possible,” MOC secretary Joseph Cassar told MaltaToday.
The issue of whether Malta should boycott the games has not been discussed by the Maltese Olympic Committee which is adhering to the position of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
The Beijing 2008 Olympic torch was lit by the sun’s rays in ancient Olympia Monday amid protests by pro-Tibet demonstrators who tried to disrupt the event.
“This is a very important event in the run up to the Olympic Games, since the Olympic Flame will be carried around the world until it is entered into the Olympic Stadium on the 8 August. It is sincerely hoped that by that time, the current situation in Tibet would have been peacefully and humanly resolved,” Cassar said.
Cassar views the holding of Olympic Games in Beijing as an opportunity to engage with the most populous country in the world. “When the IOC awarded the Olympic Games to the most populous country in the world, it also wished to open up one fifth of mankind to the philosophy of Olympism.”
IOC President, Jacques Rogge, claimed last weekend that next year’s Beijing Olympic Games “will contribute to the evolution of China”.
“We believe that China will change by opening the country to the scrutiny of the world through the 25000 media who will attend the Games. The Olympic Games are a force for good. They are a catalyst for change, not a panacea for all ills, ” Rogge said.
Sports Minister Clyde Puli would not comment on this issue pointing out that any decision to boycott the games has to be taken by the Cabinet.
“If such measures are ever to be considered this will certainly be at Cabinet level rather than at ministerial level… In the meantime our athletes are encouraged to keep their hard work going,” Puli told MaltaToday.

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt