Press Releases
Contact:
Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami
202-226-7616
For Immediate Release
03/28/2008
Pelosi Statement on 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
Washington, D.C.
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the 2008
Olympic Games in Beijing:
"The Olympic Charter states that the Olympics should
seek to foster 'respect for universal and fundamental ethical principles.' Sadly, the Chinese government has not lived
up to its commitments to improve the human rights situation in China and Tibet. I believe the International Olympic Committee
made a mistake in awarding the 2008 Summer games to China, and I sponsored a
Congressional resolution expressing that view at the time.
“However, I believe a boycott of the Beijing Olympics would
unfairly harm our athletes who have worked so hard to prepare for the
competition.
"The Olympics should provide for more opportunity for
free expression, not less. When the
Olympic torch passes through San
Francisco next month, I support the rights of
individuals and groups to make their views known about the actions of the
Chinese government.
"As I said in India
last week where I met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, if freedom-loving
people throughout the world do not speak out against China's
oppression in Tibet,
we have lost our moral authority to speak out on behalf of human rights
anywhere in the world."