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December 5th, 2008
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Olympic protests mounting

Surgery, not politics, cause of Klaus' pass

By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 2nd, 2008 issue

Some top politicians have done a pivot in their stance toward attending the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
President Václav Klaus wrote on his Web site March 26 that he would not travel to the game’s opening ceremony. In contrast to other European politicians opting out of the ceremony, such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy or Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Klaus said that his decision was not motivated by the Chinese oppression of Tibet.
“I’m not reprimanding China,” Klaus wrote. “As a lifelong sports fan, I am against politicizing sports.”
Klaus said that he plans to undergo a hip-replacement surgery at the time of the games — a surgery that could have easily been scheduled to avoid such a conflict.
Should Klaus, a former top-division basketball player, stick to his announcement, it would be the first time that he has failed to attend the Olympics while serving as president or prime minister. Up till now, his attendance at not just the Olympics but any major sporting event involving Czech teams has been near spotless.
Despite his insistence on surgical reasons for his abstention, it remains possible that Klaus’ absence in Beijing could be perceived as a political gesture, as none of the country’s other leaders may be present in Beijing.
Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, countering past statements that he planned to attend the games, said March 27 that, due to the events in Tibet, he would only attend the Olympics if the Cabinet supports his participation.
“I don’t want to harm our athletes, but it’ll be up to the ministers and their assessment of the situation [in China] to decide whether I go there or not,” Topolánek said.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet denounced the Chinese oppression of Tibet and requested that foreign journalists be let in to Tibet to carry out independent reporting. Topolánek said his Cabinet will insist on those requirements.
Sports and Education Minister Ondřej Liška and Environment Minister Martin Bursík, both of the Green Party, have already announced that they will not attend the games, as has Prague’s mayor, Pavel Bém.
Jiří Zedníček, vice chairman of the Czech Olympic Committee, appealed for politicians to temper their boycotts, making a case for dialogue.
“I can remember all the Olympic boycotts of the 1970s and 1980s,” Zedníček said. “They never helped anything.”

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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