IOC tells China to stop mixing politics and sport

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) told China to stop mixing sport and politics after a speech by Tibet's Communist Party boss at the
end of last weekend's Beijing torch relay leg in Lhasa.

"The IOC regrets that political statements were made during
the closing ceremony of the Torch Relay in Tibet," the IOC said
in a brief statement.

"We have written to BOCOG (Beijing Games organisers) to
remind them of the need to separate sport and politics and to
ask for their support in making sure that such situations do not
arise again."

The IOC has said before it has "no political mandate" to
instruct countries how to behave and had to fend off growing
international criticism it was doing too little to press China
on human rights violations and Tibet.

It has also worked hard to keep Games-linked events and
ceremonies as politics-free as possible as scrutiny of China's
foreign policies and human rights records is mounting with the
Aug 8-24 Games approaching.

Hardliner Zhang Qingli made the comments at a ceremony
marking the end of Saturday's two-hour parade of the Olympic
flame through the streets of Lhasa, the scene of anti-Chinese
riots in March.

"Tibet's sky will never change and the red flag with five
stars will forever flutter high above it ... we will certainly
be able to totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama
clique," he said in front of the Potala, the traditional seat of
the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

Beijing blamed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai
Lama, and his followers for the March 14 riots in Lhasa and
accused him of scheming to split the Himalayan region from
China.

China often rails against the Dalai Lama, but not at
Olympic-related events. It has often denounced critics for
politicising the Games and the Olympic charter states that no
kind of demonstration or political propaganda is permitted "in
any Olympic sites or other areas".

The Dalai Lama denied being behind the riots, said he just
wanted autonomy and religious freedom in Tibetan areas of the
country and has called on his followers to support the Beijing
Olympics as well as the torch relay.