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| April 7, 2008 |
WALL STREET JOURNAL
By STACY MEICHTRY
April 7, 2008; Page A6
As protests over the Beijing Olympics rise, the International Olympic Committee has sent a memo to its members, advising them on how to respond to media scrutiny of China's human-rights record -- and reminding athletes that any "proactive political or religious expression" during the event will be punished.
In an internal memo, viewed by The Wall Street Journal, the IOC reiterates its opposition to taking any public stance on Chinese policies, describing them as "sovereign matters outside of our mandate."
IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said the March 17 memo was "normal business to keep people in the loop."
The IOC's effort to coordinate the public message of its members underscores the delicate balancing act the committee faces in promoting the Games while publicly distancing the sporting event from Chinese policies.
Since protesters disrupted the lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece last month, the IOC has been fending off questions related to Beijing's human-rights record, ranging from the tight control the government maintains over national media and the Internet, to Beijing's handling of the crisis in Tibet.
"I'm sure that you are monitoring the situation in Tibet, and China's response to it. There is an understandable amount of emotion around this issue," IOC President Jacques Rogge wrote in a cover letter to the memo.
Mr. Rogge describes the crisis in Tibet as "troubling" and refers IOC members to a memo of "message points and frequently asked questions" prepared by his public-relations staff. He also encourages members to "coordinate any response" with the committee.
Attached to Mr. Rogge's letter is an eight-page "briefing kit," whose existence was made public by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders. The document notes that national Olympic committees are expected to send athletes who are "in compliance with the Olympic Charter" to the Games.
"Athletes will have total freedom of expression" to answer questions from the media, the memo states.
"However, rules for athletes clearly state that the venues of the Games are not a place for proactive political or religious expression," the memo says, adding: "In Beijing, sanctions and penalties will be applied in any cases considered to be a breach of IOC policy."
It is unclear how the memo may affect any independent initiatives planned by athletes before and during the Games.
On Monday when the Olympic torch relay arrives in Paris, for example, a group of French athletes who are expected to compete in Beijing want to wear a badge marked "For a better world," in response to events in Tibet and the question of human rights in China.
In an interview, Denis Masseglia, an executive board member of France's Olympic committee, said these athletes planned to lobby the IOC for the right to wear the badge. French Olympic Committee President Henri Serandour, he added, is currently in Beijing pressing the matter in talks with IOC officials. Mr. Masseglia noted that the badge was carefully worded so as not to openly criticize Beijing and run afoul of the Olympic Charter.
Mr. Masseglia declined to say what the IOC response to the badge initiative was.
Write to Stacy Meichtry at stacy.meichtry@wsj.com