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sports Diasabra 17 OctOber 2020

More questions on human rights for Beijing Winter Olympics

(AP)- Zumretay Arkin In a statement to the AP, the
posed a question in a re- IOC said: “Awarding the
cent on-line meeting with Olympic Games to a national
Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic committee does not
Jr., the prominent Interna- mean that the IOC agrees
tional Olympic Commit- with the political structure,
tee member who oversees social circumstances or hu-
preparations for the 2022 man rights standards in its
Winter Games in Beijing. country. ... The IOC has nei-
ther the mandate nor the ca-
“Why should China, a coun- pability to change the laws or
try running concentration the political system of a sov-
camps with at least 1 mil- ereign country.”
lion Muslim Uighurs being
detained, be allowed to hold Arvin was born in Xinjiang,
the Olympics?" she asked. immigrated to Canada, and
Arkin, a spokeswoman for still has family in northwest-
the World Uyghur Congress, ern China. She described
told The Associated Press in a Xinjiang as a human-rights
telephone interview that the issue, not simply a political
response was disappointing. issue. Olympics. That does not Arkin said the coalitions in “re-education camps” with
“I am truly disappointed with seem likely anyway, although hoped to meet again with the evidence of women undergo-
“We gave the IOC represen- the IOC’s response,” Dor- calls for strong measures IOC, though it's impossible ing forced abortions or steril-
tatives first-hand testimony jee Tseten, of Students for have come from Iain Duncan to see either side giving in. ization. There is evidence of
about our personal experi- a Free Tibet, said in a state- Smith, former leader of Brit- other detainees being moved
ences and how we are im- ment after the meeting. "The ain's Conservative Party, and The IOC is also being pres- to forced labor camps.
pacted by China’s repressive Olympics should be a cel- U.S. senators Marco Rubio sured to change its Rule 50,
policies," Arkin said. "We ebration of cultural diversity, and Robert Menedez. which would allow athletes China faced pressure over
were hoping it would open but what China is doing is more latitude to protest at human rights in the run-up
the door to a more valuable cultural genocide. ... Host- British Foreign Secretary the Olympics — including the 2008 Olympics, but the
exchange." ing the Olympics in China at Dominic Raab has not ruled in China. Beijing wound up country seemed to be open-
this time when there are mil- out a boycott. Australian Sen- with the 2022 Winter Olym- ing at the time as it gave for-
Instead, the IOC repeated its lions of people incarcerated is ator Rex Patrick has called for pics almost by accident. A eign reporters more scope to
stance: It’s not a political body tantamount to the IOC giv- one. China in response has handful of favored Europe- report in the country. The
and doesn’t take a position on ing China approval of these repeatedly blamed critics for an countries, put off by the 2008 Olympics were sup-
human-rights issues. It sim- crimes.” “politicizing sporting events" costs, pulled out of the bid- posed to change China.
ply organizes sports events. and going against the Olym- ding before the vote in 2015,
The Uighur body and other Although it says it remains pic Charter. leaving only Beijing and Al- “In 2008 the international
human-rights groups sent above politics, the IOC holds Arkin said the human rights maty, Kazakhstan, as the can- community strongly believed
an open letter a month ago observer status at the United coalition hoped to target didates. Beijing won by four that bringing the Olympics to
to IOC President Thomas Nations and has trumpeted some of the IOC's 14 top votes. China would open up Chi-
Bach, asking that the games its efforts to bring peace to sponsors, and might get sup- na,” Arkin said. “And there
be removed from China. In North and South Korea. port from athletes who are Arkin calls what's happen- was a lot of hope around this
reply, the IOC arranged an That was a constant theme at sympathetic to Black Lives ing in Xinjiang a “genocide,” idea. Now no one believes
on-line meeting last week the 2018 Winter Olympics in Matter protests in the United though others have called it a this is going to bring change.
that included groups repre- Pyeongchang, South Korea. States. German soccer player “cultural genocide” or “ethnic It’s just going to be a propa-
senting Tibet, Hong Kong Arkin said the World Uyghur Mesut Ozil has called the cleansing.” She said between ganda parade from the Chi-
and others. Congress is not asking for a issue in Xinjiang “Muslim 1.8 million and 3 million Ui- nese government
boycott of the 2022 Beijing Lives Matter.” ghurs have been forcibly held

Qatar to stage Asian Champions League final as neutral host

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — poned Asian Champions the knockout rounds as a the coronavirus pandem- South Korea and Thailand.
Qatar will host the post- League final after staging competition hub during ic.
“This will be, unlike previous
The Asian Football Confed- years, a one-off final and we
eration announced the deci- therefore needed to ensure
sion Friday to stay in Doha that there was no unfair ad-
without saying which 2022 vantage to one team or the
World Cup stadium will stage other,” AFC general secretary
the game on Dec. 19. Windsor John said.
Before the pandemic affected
The single-leg final replaces sports around the world, the
the two-leg, home-and-away Club World Cup final was
series traditionally played in scheduled to be held in Doha
November between teams on Dec. 19.
which advance from separate
east and west regional brack- FIFA now hopes to orga-
ets. nize that seven-team tour-
Iranian club Persepolis ad- nament, which includes the
vanced to the final from the 2020 Asian champions and
west bracket. The eastern European champion Bayern
section resumes on Nov. 18 Munich, early next year. The
in Qatar in the group stage, South American champion
which was paused in March. will not be decided until late-
It includes teams from Aus- January.
tralia, China, Japan, Malaysia,