China condemns Olympic bid critics

The Chinese government has reacted angrily to attempts by a United States congressional committee to stop Beijing staging the 2008 Olympics.

The House of Representatives International Relations Committee is urging the body which oversees the games not to allow China to host the Olympics, arguing that it has terrible record on human rights.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman , Sun Yuxi, said the comments were a farce and politically motivated.

The BBC's sports correspondent says the issue of human rights is unlikely to be a significant factor when the International Olympic Committee decides in July which city will stage the 2008 games.

Beijing faces stiff competition from Osaka, Paris, Toronto and Istanbul.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service