Thomas Bach the International Olympic Committee president on Friday said they are ‘no Super world Government to resolve political issues in china as criticisms for granting rights to host the 2022 Olympic Games to the Asian country continue mounting.
China’s Beijing will become the first City to host the summer and winter Games next year, having staged the summer games in 2008.
Groups representing Tibet and Hong Kong and the Uighurs said earlier on Friday that the IOC had not acted on their concerns after meeting with its leadership last year in October, questioning the objective of awarding the hosting rights for the games to China.
The groups also said that the assurances China had given the IOC did not hold any value as per the human rights code they subscribe to.
However, Bach said in a virtual news conference that they are taking the concerns ‘very seriously’ when asked ‘specifically about the claims for human rights violations’ in China. “Human rights and labour rights and others are and will be part of the host city’s contract.” Bach said in response before adding that; “We are working very closely with the organizing committee and monitoring supply chains, labour rights, freedom of press and many other issues which is our responsibility.
The United states earlier on Friday came out and condemned China’s abuse of ethnic and religious minorities, including what they described as ‘crimes against humanity and genocide in Xinjiang against Muslim Uighurs and severe restrictions in Tibet.
Bach’s response to this was; “we are not a super world government where the IOC could solve or even address issues for which not the United Nations Security Council, no G7, no G20 has a solution.”
“This is in remit of politics and we have to live up to our responsibilities in our areas of responsibility.”
China rejected charges that the US Had leveled against them that they had committed genocide against Uighur and other Muslims in the remote western region, where activists say more than 1 million are being held in internment camps.
A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry highlights that the complexes it set up in Xinjiang provide vocational training to help stamp out Islamist extremism and separatism and as such allegations of forced labour and human rights violations are “groundless rumors and slander.”
This comes just a few months to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics games which were postponed from last year due to the coronavirus crisis that rocked the world and put a stop to all activities that involve mass gatherings.