CHINA: OLYMPIC GAMES: Jacques Rogge says Olympic Games will have a positive affect on Chinese society

Next year's Beijing Olympic Games should help change in China, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said on Wednesday (April 25). "We believe that the Olympic Games will have definitely a positive, lasting affect on the Chinese society. And this has been recognised itself by our Chinese friends and partners. So, definitely, we believe that the Games are a force for the good. They are a force for the good in whatever country they are organised in," Rogge told a press conference on the sidelines of a major sport convention in Beijing. Rogge was responding to a question about calls by actress Mia Farrow and others to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics over its position on the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur. China supplies arms to Sudan and also has huge oil investments in the country. Rights groups say its engagement is frustrating attempts to stop the civil war and the atrocities. Hein Verbruggen, head of the IOC's co-ordination commission, said that the organisation did not want to become enmeshed in political issues. "We from our side are not not in a position where we can give instructions to governments how they have to behave. And therefore I think also that you will easily understand that I don't want to be dragged into discussions that are highly political and sensitive. We can only, you know, hope once again that those problems are solved as soon as possible," Verbruggen told the press conference. Verbruggen would not give away any details of the Olympic torch route, which will be announced on Thursday (April 26) along with at a formal unveiling ceremony. "I think a lot of people will be happy, let's put it like that. Every country that gets the torch is excited. That's at least what we can notice," said Verbruggen. The issue has been a bone of contention between Taipei and Beijing. The governing party of Taiwan agreed last week they would not admit the Olympic torch if it entered or left the island via mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. China is determined the torch relay will visit Taiwan, which it regards as a rebel province to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Verbruggen also said that BOCOG and the IOC had discussed contingency plans for Beijing's notorious air pollution. "Now we have extensively discussed these contingency plans. It is too technical for me to give a full report, but there is a lot of things that have already been said: production and vehicle emissions, dust control policies, closing down certain factories during Games time and also test event time. And all this will undoubtedly have extremely beneficial effects, or positive effects. And we are very confident that the air quality at the test events and at the time of the Games will be up to the levels that allow the athletes to perform, to have their best performance," said Verbruggen. Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world and despite huge government efforts to improve air quality, a haze of smog still regularly shrouds the city. Verbruggen wrapped up the eighth visit of the co-ordination commission to Beijing last week with a largely positive review. The commission will visit Beijing twice more before the Games open on August 8, 2008. IOC officials are in town as part of the 5th annual SportAccord convention - hosted this year by Beijing.

ITN Source | April 26, 2007

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