Shame on you Mr. Rogge

Jacques, Count Rogge is the eighth president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).



Tainted by censorship
July 31, 2008 - from www.theglobeandmail.com

The International Olympic Committee's collusion in Chinese repression of foreign journalists more than confirms the fears of those who opposed awarding the games to the authoritarian state. It surpasses them. By making a secret agreement with Chinese authorities to block foreign reporters' access to some Internet sites, including Amnesty International's, the IOC has given the world's imprimatur to China's repression of its own people.

Weren't the Olympics supposed to change China? That was the hope from the wishful thinkers and apologists when Beijing was awarded the Games in July, 2001, and from the IOC itself. "Possibly today this opens a new era for China," said Juan Antonio Samaranch, then the IOC's president. His successor, Jacques Rogge, dropped the qualifier. "We are convinced that the Olympics Games will improve the human-rights record [in China]," he said in April, 2002. He went on to say that the IOC is "a responsible organization" and that if human rights were not respected, "then we will act." China itself promised "complete freedom to report."

Instead, China has changed the Olympics. The IOC did act, but only to appease the Chinese authorities, in spite of Mr. Rogge's declaration two weeks ago that "there will be no censorship on the Internet." The IOC has always insisted it is above politics, but its willingness to play along with Chinese censorship is an irresponsible political act. It should have shown more backbone.

In the best tradition of censorship, the IOC did not announce what it had done, perhaps in the belief no one would notice - more wishful thinking. It came to journalists' attention when they tried to look up an Amnesty International report this week on how the human-rights situation in China remains dismal. After queries from reporters, an IOC news official, Kevin Gosper, said he had just learned of the agreement with the Chinese authorities. Now that the censorship (which extends to some portions of this newspaper's website) is public, another official claims the IOC will press China to reconsider.

For China to break its promise is galling but not surprising. For the IOC to effectively participate in Chinese censorship casts the Olympic movement into disrepute.