Britain's custodianship of Olympic ideals confers special responsibility to help Beijing free Tibet by 2008, say Tibet Campaigne

Press Release - 6 July 2005

Free Tibet Campaign congratulates London on its successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, Free Tibet Campaign calls on the UK Government, as fellow custodians with China of the Olympic ideal, to commit to a special initiative that will secure a negotiated settlement for Tibet and improve human rights in China before the Beijing Games of 2008.

"If our Government really wants to make Britain proud, it will back Tibet" said Alison Reynolds of Free Tibet Campaign."We have no doubt that London 2012 will be a truly great Olympics, but unless there is substantial progress on Tibet and human rights in China, the 2008 Games in Beijing will be badly tarnished" she added.

Free Tibet Campaign has repeatedly called for action by the IOC and the UK Government to turn into reality the IOC's famous "bet" that staging the Olympics in China would be a force for good. Key demands include:

A call for China to honour the Olympic Truce by entering into unconditional dialogue over the future of Tibet with representatives of the Dalai Lama.

That China adheres to its promise of media freedom by 2008 (this promise was made during Beijing's winning press conference in July 2001).

That the IOC makes the content of the Host City Contract public, particularly those parts that relate to the control of dissent at the time of the Olympics.

The Beijing Organisers of the Olympic Games recently announced their slogan, "One World, One Dream". The Chinese government has claimed that the slogan reflects the "belief that peace and progress, harmonious development, living in amity ... are the common ideals of the people throughout the world". However, whilst the Communist regime in Beijing adopted such lofty ideals for presenting its Games to the world, the nightmare of repression, arbitrary arrests and human rights violations continues in Tibet.