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Politics entered the Olympics on Thursday when an official for the Beijing Video games spoke about Taiwan and Xinjiang, declaring there was solely “one China”, the first such statements by the host because the competitors began.
Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams was requested a query on the every day press convention about Taiwan’s presence on the closing ceremony on Sunday. Following his feedback, Beijing Video games spokesperson Yan Jiarong mentioned: “There is just one China”.
Her assertion reiterates China’s stance in direction of democratically ruled Taiwan, which it claims as its personal “sacred” territory.
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Later, Yan once more insisted on making a assertion about Xinjiang when a reporter directed a query to the IOC about materials from China’s Xinjiang area being utilized in clothes.
“The so-called compelled labour in Xinjiang is lies made up by deliberate teams,” Yan mentioned.
Human rights teams have accused some textile corporations who supply supplies from Xinjiang of ignoring abuses of the Uyghur inhabitants within the area.
China denies all accusations of abuse and has repeatedly denied claims that it runs a community of compelled labour camps in Xinjiang.
Amid a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics by the US, Britain and different Western nations over China’s human rights data, the IOC has tried to maintain politics out of the Beijing Video games.
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Athletes have been instructed to stay to the IOC’s Rule 50, which bans political statements on the medals podium and in competitions.
The rule, barely revised forward of final yr’s Tokyo Video games to permit for some protests on the sector of play if first cleared with the IOC, was thrust into the highlight within the run-up to the Olympics.
“We’re at all times towards the thought of politicising the Video games. The IOC has 206 members, together with the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Nationwide Olympic Committee of Chinese language Taipei,” Yan mentioned.
Taiwan competes in most sporting occasions, together with the Olympics, as “Chinese language Taipei” on the insistence of Beijing, which sees Taiwan as a part of “one China”.
Taiwan took half within the Video games’ opening ceremony after the staff mentioned it had obtained “a number of notices” by the IOC to attend each the opening and shutting ceremonies.
Final month, it had initially mentioned it couldn’t attend as a consequence of delayed flights and COVID-19 guidelines.
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