China vows to keep torch on track

[Jack]

I was struggling to find the right forum for this as it's to do with protests with people not being treated well, but it's also to do with the Olympic games, a sporting event.

Steve, feel free to move this to a different forum/board if you need be.

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Source BBC

Beijing has said "no force" can stop the Olympic flame relay, as it faces protests on the US leg of its journey.

Seven pro-Tibet demonstrators have already been arrested in San Francisco after tying anti-Chinese banners to the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The flame is due to arrive in the city on Tuesday, following anti-Chinese protests in Paris and London.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) members meeting in Beijing say they are to review future Olympic torch relays.

The flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, on 24 March and is being relayed by torch through 20 countries before being carried into the opening ceremony at the Beijing Games on 8 August.


Map of Olympic torch relay route
But the torch had to be put out three times in Paris because of the protests.

The flame itself was kept alight in a safety lantern.

Demonstrators are protesting at China's security crackdown in Tibet after recent unrest against Chinese rule.

Tibetan exile groups say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters. Beijing says about 19 people were killed in rioting.

Chinese state TV said the protesters in London and Paris were a "handful of Tibetan separatists".

Condemning the disruption to the relay, Beijing Olympic organising committee spokesman Sun Weide told reporters the torch relay would continue as planned.

"No force can stop the torch relay of the Beijing Games," he said in Beijing.

But the International Olympic Commitee, currently holding a meeting in the Chinese capital, is to discuss whether torch relays should continue for future Games.

IOC press commission chief Kevan Gospar said that this year's 137,000km torch relay will continue as planned, "but certainly, the IOC executive board should review the torch relay programme for the future".

Protest climb

Swedish IOC member Gunilla Lindberg said the protests were "damaging the Olympic movement".

"Using the torch this way is almost a crime. This is the property of the IOC, it is not a Chinese torch."

Police in San Francisco, where the torch is due to be relayed on Wednesday, arrested seven people on Monday and charged them with conspiracy and causing a public nuisance.

Three climbers among them faced additional charges of trespassing.

They had scaled the bridge to perch 150 feet (46m) above traffic, attaching "Free Tibet" banners and a Tibetan flag.

One of them, Laurel Sutherlin, spoke by mobile phone to reporters.

"If the IOC [International Olympic Committee] allows the torch to proceed into Tibet they'll have blood on their hands," he said.

US Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called on President George W Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics unless China improves its human rights record.

Black banners

The Paris relay started to go wrong almost from the start, despite the presence of 3,000 police along the route.

It was cut short with the torch finally carried by bus to the relay's end point.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe cancelled a ceremony to welcome the torch relay after Green party activists hung a Tibetan flag and a black banner depicting the Olympic rings as handcuffs from the city hall.

Activists also hung Tibetan flags or black banners from several other Paris landmarks including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cathedral.

On Sunday, 37 people were arrested in London as protesters disrupted the torch relay there.

[QuietGirl]

All of this protesting with the Olympics and everything only makes one wonder what its going to be like in August? At least that's what my history teacher said to us. He thinks its only going to get worse as the days and months progress.

[Jack]

Yes, I think it will get worse as the days pass. I hope there isn't a big riot at games as the sports'll be called off. Which'll be a shame as they're good to watch on TV

[Steve Gardner]

Part of me thinks, "what did we expect?"

When the Games were awarded to China, the country's human rights record was generally regarded as poor and Tibet was a particularly contentious issue. Clearly, it wasn't going to be resolved by the time the Games started. So why are world leaders and people like IOC President, Jaques Rogge, either threatening not to attend various ceremonies or else labelling the current situation a 'crisis'? Why were China even considered a candidate host country when it must have been painfully obvious to everyone concerned that there would be mounting political pressure as the Games themselves approached.

Maybe I'm just too suspicious, but I can't help wondering if this is demonisation of China is exactly what some people were hoping for.

[QuietGirl]

The only thing that I don't get is why they chose to have it in China in the first place? I mean what makes them decide where they're going to have the next Olympics. In my opinion they should have chosen somewhere that's a bit more safe like US or England. I've heard that the US Politicians are pushing Bush not to go I believe it was, or it might be the other way around, I don't remember.

[Steve Gardner]

I agree - they should not have considered China as a host.

It must have been clear their human rights record was likely to become an issue. The fact that things have taken a turn for the worse recently with the Tibet issue has exacerbated things, obviously, but I suspect that Tibet would have been the focal point of protests, even if the diplomatic situation hadn't deteriorated.

It's a shame. The Olympics should be a great sporting occasion but this year's will be overshadowed with world leaders and other notable figures doing their best to be seen to be opposed to China's policies.

[Jack]

Politics + Sport = Mess

Well, that's really what it is. Lets just hope that they manage to actually hold the Olympics without a huge accident.