Chinese embassy urges British gov't to stop political manipulation, uphold Olympic spirit

LONDON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Britain on Wednesday urged the British government to uphold the Olympic spirit, honor its commitment to not boycotting sports and stop political manipulation.

The British side said earlier in the day that there were no plans for ministers or officials to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, and that "this would effectively be diplomatic boycott." But they also said that the policy of the British government remains not to support "sporting boycotts."

"If the UK government's policy remains not to support 'sporting boycotts,' then there should not be such thing as 'effective diplomatic boycott'," said the spokesperson, who also confirmed that the Chinese government had not invited government ministers or officials from Britain to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Beijing Winter Olympics is a gathering of Olympic athletes and winter sports lovers across the world, not a tool of political manipulation for any country, he said, noting that making an issue out of the presence of government officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics is in essence a political smearing campaign.

"This sheer politicization of sports is a blatant violation of the spirit of the Olympic Charter, especially the principle of 'political neutrality' of sports, and runs counter to the new Olympic motto of 'together'," the spokesperson said.

"It is a wrong move that places one on the opposite side of the Olympic movement and the athletes from all over the world. It will surely meet condemnation from the international community and the vast number of athletes," the spokesperson added.