U.S. Dept. of State - IIP: The United States and China

Text: Sen. Wellstone Press Release on China Hosting 2008 Olympics
(Calls selection both human rights setback, opportunity)

Senator Paul Wellstone (Democrat from Minnesota) issued a press release July 13 calling the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to have Beijing host the 2008 Summer Games both "a setback for the cause of human rights" and "an opportunity for the U.S. government and the international community to demand that the Chinese government improve its human rights record before the games begin."

Wellstone is a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and was the lead cosponsor of a bipartisan congressional resolution (S. Con. Res. 28) that called on the International Olympic Committee not to name Beijing as host until China releases all political prisoners, ratifies the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and observes international norms of human rights.

For Immediate Release
July 13, 2001

Wellstone Disappointed by IOC Decision Awarding Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

(Washington, D.C.) - Following the announcement by the International Olympic Committee to award China with the 2008 Olympic Games, U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Chairman of the Senate Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs Subcommittee, today expressed his strong disappointment with the move. Wellstone said China's chronic failure to respect human rights - as documented again this year by the State Department - violates the spirit of the Games and should have eliminated Beijing as a finalist to host the Games. Wellstone was the lead cosponsor of the bipartisan S. Con. Res. 28 which called on the International Olympic Committee not to name Beijing as host until China releases all political prisoners, ratifies the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and observes international norms of human rights.

"While today's decision by the IOC is a setback for the cause of human rights, it also presents an opportunity for the U.S. government and the international community to demand that the Chinese government improve its human rights record before the games begin. The value of these Olympic games to the government of China cannot be overestimated. Its chronic failure to respect human rights violates the fundamental spirit of the Olympics and should have disqualified China," Wellstone said.

Many members of Congress argue that human rights should never be a consideration in determining U.S. trade relations with other countries. However, a government's record on human rights, Wellstone holds, should not be ignored with respect to choosing a sight for the Olympics - which confers enormous prestige on the host government and which is intended to celebrate human dignity and achievement. The Olympic charter makes clear "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" are central to the Olympic ideal. According to the U.S. State Department, during the past year, the Chinese government's record 'worsened' as it committed 'numerous serious abuses'.

"This is just the beginning. The U.S. government has eight years to keep the pressure on China for its human rights performance, and a tremendous opportunity to insist that the Chinese government end the repression of its people. I will work in the Senate to see that we do so. And I long for the day when I can stand on the Senate floor and celebrate the idea of China hosting the games. The Chinese people are some of the most extraordinary, talented and resourceful people on the planet. But I believe that day should only come when the Chinese government's record on human rights is not a list of horrors," Wellstone said.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)