Today the International Campaign for Tibet [ICT] officially launched its 2008 Olympics Campaign under the banner “Beijing 2008: Race for Tibet”. The launch marks the start of the two-year countdown to the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Emphasizing the situation of the Tibetan people under Chinese rule, ICT is actively working within a global movement of NGOs and individuals monitoring China’s human rights situation and working to bring about positive changes in China by August 2008.
Alongside ICT, other Tibet groups, Chinese democracy groups and human rights NGOs around the world will intensify their ongoing efforts in the coming 24 months to engage political leaders and the public by highlighting the many challenges facing all those living within the People’s Republic of China.
The “Beijing 2008: Race for Tibet” Campaign
The “Beijing 2008: Race for Tibet” campaign aims to make the Beijing 2008 Olympics a catalyst for change in China and to actively engage decision-makers and the public in bringing about a major shift in China’s policies in Tibet.
ICT believes that China has a historic opportunity to show the world that it is a worthy host of the 2008 Olympics. In awarding the 2008 Games to Beijing, both the IOC and the Beijing Olympics Committee highlighted the potential positive impacts the 2008 Olympics would have on Chinese society, but with the countdown to the Games well underway, there remains little sign of substantive progress on human rights in China generally and in Tibet specifically. The “Beijing 2008: Race for Tibet” campaign will harness the energy of the Olympics and goodwill of people worldwide to call on China to:
- End human rights abuses in Tibet, and
- Directly engage the Dalai Lama to find a negotiated solution for Tibet
The “Beijing 2008: Race for Tibet” campaign will be a dynamic, multimedia, educational yet fun campaign sustained over the coming two years that will inspire and engage Tibet supporters, decision-makers and the general public in the Tibetan Issue.