IOC president 'concerned' over Tibet, torch relay violence

[Nanda]

Monday 7th April, 2008

IOC president 'concerned' over Tibet, torch relay violence
IANS Monday 7th April, 2008

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge Monday said he was concerned about unrest in China's Tibetan areas and violence by supporters of Tibetan independence during the torch relay for the 2008 Olympics.

'I'm very concerned with the international situation and what's happening in Tibet,' Rogge said at the opening of a meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Beijing.

'The torch relay has been targeted. The International Olympic Committee has expressed its serious concern and calls for a rapid, peaceful resolution in Tibet,' Rogge said.

Rogge said violent protests were 'not compatible with the values of the torch relay or the Olympic Games'.

He called for unity in the Olympic movement and said there was 'no momentum for a generalized boycott' of the Beijing games.

'We need the unity of the Olympic movement to help us overcome the difficulties. Our major responsibility is for offering good games to the athletes who deserve them,' Rogge said.