Sir Rols Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 PRAGUE, March 25, 2008 (AFP) - The mayor of Prague, Pavel Bem, said Tuesday he is refusing to attend the Beijing Olympics despite the Czech capital being a candidate to host the summer 2016 games. ``I've already taken my decision. I won't go to Beijing. The question of oppression of human rights, the issue of China-Tibet relations, this is not at all China's domestic affair,'' Bem said. Bem -- who says he was refused entry at the China-Tibet frontier when climbing Mount Everest last year -- insists his decision is personal, adding that a boycott would harm a generation of athletes. I applaud the mayor's stand .... it's not going to do the Prague bid much good, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 I'm sure he realizes that Prague's bid doesn't stand much of a chance anyway (not to mention even short-listed). Prague's 2016 bid could be over with even before the Beijing Opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsh Posted March 26, 2008 Report Share Posted March 26, 2008 the prague's major won't go to beijing. ....... who cares? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Reality is he's not going because his city's bid is so no taken seriously that he couldn't get a hotel room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted March 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Now the Czech president, and the PM, have joined in: By Marek Miler and Katya Andrusz March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declined invitations to the Olympic Games in Beijing following clashes between Tibetan protesters and Chinese security forces. ``Those who sometime in the 1990s voted for the Olympics to go to China should not now be pretending they're surprised that China is what it is,'' Klaus said on his Web site. Tusk will skip the opening ceremony, Agnieszka Liszka, his spokeswoman, said by phone, confirming a report in Poland's Dziennik newspaper. Poland will also try to convince other European Union countries that the bloc should speak out more strongly on the issue of Tibet, Dziennik reported, citing Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Ryszard Schnepf as saying. In the Czech Republic, which like Poland overthrew communism in 1989, politicians including former President Vaclav Havel, who helped bring down the former system as a dissident playwright, have called for the EU to press for greater human rights in countries including Cuba and Belarus. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said this week he wouldn't rule out a boycott of the opening ceremony, and appealed ``to the Chinese leaders' sense of responsibility'' to stop the crackdown in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. Ministers, Mayor Czech Education Minister Ondrej Liska, Environment Minister Martin Bursik and Prague Mayor Pavel Bem also turned down the Czech Olympic Committee's invitation to the games, newspaper Hospodarske Noviny reported. It is still not known whether Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek will attend, the newspaper said. ``If a country's dignitaries decline an invitation to the Olympics, it's between the dignitary and the local Olympic committee of the country,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a phone interview when asked about Klaus's decision. ``China invites dignitaries, royal families and ministers via local Olympic committees in each country.'' China blames the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, for instigating the biggest protests in almost 20 years, which began March 10 in Lhasa and spread to neighboring provinces. Security forces have killed about 140 protesters since the demonstrations began, the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, northern India, said in a statement on March 24. Western nations including the U.S., Germany and Britain have urged the Chinese authorities to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim jones Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 I applaud the mayor's stand ....it's not going to do the Prague bid much good, though. Oh it will do Prague great good by getting out of something that is unpopular with people in the local area. Prague has as much chance for 2016 are Baku or Doha . Jim jones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted March 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 Prague has as much chance for 2016 are Baku or Doha . Nobody ever thought they even had that much chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm Jeremie Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 I think Prague is pushing the whole "I don't want to appear to be the favourite" strategy to a new level: First, publicly state that although you are bidding for 2016, the real goal is 2020/2024 Then, have your President states that he thought that the bid is a waste of time and money Then have your Prime Mister declare that he hasn't provided any financial guarantee and he doesn't intend to Then publish less than flatering public support figure Then, just to play it safe, announce that you will snub all the official party at the upcoming Games I wonder what's coming next: "Jacque Rogge is a bad dresser", "IOC Members are either senile or dumb or both"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainad Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 I think Prague is pushing the whole "I don't want to appear to be the favourite" strategy to a new level: First, publicly state that although you are bidding for 2016, the real goal is 2020/2024 Then, have your President states that he thought that the bid is a waste of time and money Then have your Prime Mister declare that he hasn't provided any financial guarantee and he doesn't intend to Then publish less than flatering public support figure Then, just to play it safe, announce that you will snub all the official party at the upcoming Games I wonder what's coming next: "Jacque Rogge is a bad dresser", "IOC Members are either senile or dumb or both"... How about 'We really think the Olympics are a complete waste of time & money but we got so fed up with people from Gamesbids telling us that Prague would make a splendid host that we thought we'd put in a bid just to shut them all up!" At this rate,Prague must be so far from being seen as the favourite that they are now probably a shoo-in to pip all the others to the post! Sorry Chicago,Tokyo,Rio et al.....Prague has outwitted you all strategywise!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 The strategy is simple...its called "hard to get". Often works in the dating scene. Why not try it when courting the IOC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox334 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 Oh it will do Prague great good by getting out of something that is unpopular with people in the local area. Prague has as much chance for 2016 are Baku or Doha . Jim jones Sorry JJ, you're wrong on that one. Baku and Doha both have a much better chance of getting that Prague... (And I'm actually not kidding...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsh Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Sorry JJ, you're wrong on that one. Baku and Doha both have a much better chance of getting that Prague... (And I'm actually not kidding...) Why in the case of Baku, has better chance to get OG than Praga? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox334 Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Why in the case of Baku, has better chance to get OG than Praga? Because Prague's bids doesn't have any financial guaranteed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Iredale Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Mayor to boycott Beijing. Gamesbids members to boycott Prague 2016 thread. IOC Executive Board to boycott Prague bid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Mayor to boycott Beijing. Gamesbids members to boycott Prague 2016 thread. IOC Executive Board to boycott Prague bid? That`s interesting!Lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiuTian Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 It's ridiculous. The BOC have never invited them either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenny Shafard Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Sports bring nations together. We should not let politics ruin sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted January 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Sports bring nations together. We should not let politics ruin sports. Or ticket sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.