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The Chinese capital will become the first city to host both the
Winter and Summer Games when it stages the Feb. 4-20 event but,
as was the case with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, protests and
calls for boycotts over the country's human rights record have
marred the run-up.
Rights groups and U.S. lawmakers have called on the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games and
relocate the event unless China ends what the United States
deems ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority
groups.
Chinese authorities have been accused of facilitating forced
labour by detaining around a million Uyghurs and other primarily
Muslim minorities in camps since 2016.
China denies wrongdoing, saying it has set up vocational
training centres to combat extremism.
Next week's ceremony in Olympia, the site of the ancient Games,
will be held without spectators and only a limited media
presence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flame handover to Beijing Games organisers will take place
in Athens a day later at an event also without spectators.
Hundreds of Greek police officers are expected to lock down the
sleepy town in western Peloponnese for the weekend in a bid to
ensure there are no disruptions to the ceremony.
For police, the lack of crowds will make it easier to safeguard
the ceremonies, with authorities desperate to avoid a repeat of
the protests during the torch-lighting ceremony for the Beijing
Summer Games.
PROTESTS
Back in 2008, Tibetan activists sneaked into the ancient site in
Olympia, lighting their own torch before the official ceremony,
upsetting Chinese organisers.
Activists also breached tight security and interrupted the
Beijing Games torch-lighting ceremony itself, unfurling a banner
condemning China's human rights record in a globally televised
event.
They then disrupted the relay start in Olympia, marking the
beginning of months of international protests.
"There is heightened mobility of the Greek police regarding the
Beijing torch lighting, especially compared to the Tokyo 2020
Olympics," a Greek official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
told Reuters.
"The scenario of potential disruption is obviously being
seriously considered by police."
Human rights groups, without revealing details, have told
Reuters they will be present in Greece during the ceremonies to
highlight China's human rights record and to call again on the
IOC to stop the Games.
The IOC is also facing criticism for awarding two Olympics to
China in a span of 14 years despite what rights groups say are
no improvements in the human rights situation since the 2008
Games.
But IOC Vice-President John Coates defended the Olympic body's
stance on Wednesday.
"The IOC's remit is to ensure that there is no human rights
abuses in respect of the conduct of the Games within the
National Olympic Committees or within the Olympic movement," he
said.
"We have no ability to go into a country and tell them what to
do. All we can do is to award the Olympics to a country, under
conditions set out in a host contract ... and then ensure they
are followed."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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