Int'l Olympic Committee chief 'very concerned' about Tibet situation

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The president of the International Olympic Committee expressed concern Sunday about a Chinese government crackdown in Tibet and neighboring provinces that is the latest bad publicity for the Asian giant ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August. "We are very concerned," Jacques Rogge told reporters during a one-day visit to St. Lucia. "The IOC hopes that there can be an appeasement as soon as possible to this situation, and I also want to offer our condolences to the relatives of the people who lost their lives." On Saturday, Rogge flatly rejected the idea of boycotting the Summer Games in Beijing over the violence in China, saying it would only penalize athletes. He has declined to say whether the committee would change its stance if the fierce crackdown continues.