- The IOC awarded Beijing the 2008 Olympic Games in 2001, contending that the Games will "improve human rights in China"
- Human rights violations in China and Tibet remain systematic and widespread
- Since 2001, there has been a crackdown on religious leaders, civil and political liberties in Tibet
- Beijing will use the Olympics to present China as a free and open society to the outside world
New! Check out www.racefortibet.org, ICT's new Olympics campaign website and watch the online movie "China's Perfect Zero"
ICT has grave concerns about the International Olympic Committee decision to award the 2008 Olympic Summer Games to China, a communist state that is acknowledged around the world to be a gross violator of human rights. After a half century, China continues to illegally occupy Tibet where its policies are designed to erode the Tibetan national identity and suppress the fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people. Such policies are inconsistent with the behavior of great nations.
The goal of the Olympic movement is to build a peaceful and better world and promote international understanding by educating the youth of the world through sport and culture. ICT will therefore actively oppose any attempt by China to misuse the Games or its athletes to falsify the relationship between China and Tibet or appropriate what is Tibetan and portray it as "Chinese."
China will not emerge as a great nation simply by virtue of hosting the 2008 Olympic Summer Games. However, opportunity exists in the lead-up to the Games for China to take measures that would promote and protect human rights, including through the dialogue established with representatives of the Dalai Lama that could lead to a peaceful and legitimate solution for Tibet. As the stresses of Chinese migration, cultural assimilation, development and environmental degradation escalate in Tibet, so too does the urgency of ICT's mission to save Tibet. Therefore, Beijing 2008 is more than sport, it's a Race for Tibet.
ICT calls on China to how the world that it is a worthy host of the 2008 Olympics by:
- Ending human rights abuses in Tibet
- Directly engaging the Dalai Lama to find a solution for Tibet
Go to www.racefortibet.org to learn more about ICT's Olympics campaign!
For more information:
- Check out www.racefortibet.org, ICT's new Olympics campaign website and watch the online movie "China's Perfect Zero"
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