China fury at Games ban move

Beijing says the US move is 'blatant contempt'

By sports correspondent Harry Peart

China has reacted angrily to a US resolution opposing Beijing's bid to stage the Olympic Games in 2008 because of its record on human rights.

Congress passed a similar resolution before the 2000 Olympics

The House of Representatives International Relations Committee called China's human rights record abominable.

And it urged that the Games should not be held in Beijing unless China releases all political prisoners and ratifies an international treaty on political rights.

But in Beijing, Sun Yuxi of the Foreign Ministry said the resolution was in blatant contempt of, and a challenge to, Olympic principles.

'Farce'

He said a handful of people in the United States were clinging desperately to the Cold War mentality and had ulterior political motives.

He added that "this farce" would be cast aside by all people and countries who uphold justice.

The human rights issue is unlikely to have a major impact on the outcome of the July vote to select the 2008 Games.

Beijing is in competition with Paris, Toronto, Osaka and Istanbul.

In 1993, the US Congress passed a similar resolution opposing Beijing's bid to stage the 2000 Olympics.

Beijing lost out to Sydney by only two votes, having won the first three rounds of voting.

Earlier this year, the outgoing president of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch stressed that the IOC itself would make no recommendations on human rights issues during its evaluation of the cities.