Olympic greats don't support Games boycott
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23520871-5014197,00.html
OLYMPIC greats Ron Clarke,
Duncan Armstrong and Mark Stockwell
have strongly opposed an athletes' boycott
of the Beijing Games,
saying sport and politics should never mix.
Armstrong, a two-time Olympic swimmer who won gold and silver medals at the 1988 Seoul Games, said he would "never" support a boycott, except when the safety of athletes was at risk.
"The Olympic Games has been a scapegoat for political agendas probably since 4000BC," said Armstrong, who will be an Olympic commentator for the Seven Network.
"There are plenty of other ways we can leverage China as a nation,
whether it be trade or goods embargoes, to make a difference in Tibet."
The world's media is going to be focused on China
and if there is a full contingent of athletes,
it will bring greater pressure
to bear on the Chinese Government," he said.
"A boycott is a missed opportunity to put China under the spotlight."
Clarke, the Gold Coast mayor lauded as Australia's greatest distance runner, also rejected boycott calls.
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http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23520871-5014197,00.html
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