Tenth IOC/BOCOG press conference

Yomiuri Shimbun

Could you kindly give us an update when the IOC executive board might take decision on Ms. Blonska's case. To Frank, you have actually given a strong message against doping on the IOC session. Now we saw before and during the Olympics Games time, nearly 10 top track and field athletes in violation of doping rules. Are you personally concerned of the image of track and field? And what as a Chairman of Athletic Commission is a task ahead for you?

Giselle Davies

The executive board meeting is scheduled for 12:30, so in about half an hour's time, when the decision is made, we will communicate to you, that's probably in the form of press release. We decided not to shift the time of the briefing but we will follow up with it once the decision is made by the executive board so I will look out for that earlier in this afternoon.

Frank Fredericks

I think we can never stop fighting. We have to continue fighting. Because I think about the 99% of the athletes that are clean, or 99.9% of the athletes that are clean. So we have to make sure that we keep the playing field level. I'm very happy with the many tests taken before and during the Games. So we are telling the cheaters there won't be possibility anymore. Because they are not only cheating themselves, they are cheating other athletes from taking the victory ceremonies, from carrying the flags, to hear the national anthems. I would not stop from fighting because I'm coming from a small country. We have to make the playing field level, we have to put resources as much as possible to make sure that they know that we'll not decrease the test but we will increase the test. We'll increase the fight against doping. My presidency will not tolerate. We'll support the IOC's policy of zero tolerance against doping. It will be something that we'll talk about every time. We'll let them know that we are against it and we'll continue the fight.

Evening Standard

A question for Wang Wei. The opening ceremony, there were certain stories about faking of parts of the opening ceremony, I just want to know about the closing ceremony, will we be able to believe what we see?

Wang Wei

That's a strange question for me that I heard for the first time, faking the opening ceremony. First of all, you raise the question to the core directors of the opening ceremony and better with evidence. And I can assure you the closing ceremony will be very nice to look at. It will be wonderful. I don't believe they'll spend so much time and so much money on faking the ceremonies. Not worth it. Thank you.

Reporter for Germany

Giselle, a private question to you. I don't know you very well but today I know you are a person who is often smiling and often you have a friendly appearance. Today your smiling is not real. If this has private reasons, this is not my business but if it has no private reason, can you give me an idea why you are so fed up with your job right now?

Giselle Davies

If it's a private question maybe we take the private question privately. I am a smiley person and I am smiling and my smile is real.

Reporter from Japan

According to today's report, the Chinese security forces open a fire to the Tibetan protests. I'm not sure do you have some information to this, something related to the Olympic Games. I think it's not a political issue you know. Now it is the time the China is holding Olympic Games. So I would like to have some information on this. To Giselle, if it is true, if you think about the Olympic spirit. Can I have some opinion? Thank you.

Wang Wei

I hope I have heard you right. I am not sure if you are asking the question to me. Well, I have not heard about the Chinese police held an open fire to Tibetans but I do know the riot in Tibet that happened in March earlier this year. The police really exercised a lot of restraint from opening fire although they were really abused by that. Many police were beaten and even killed in that regard. So that's the only information I have at the moment. Thank you.

Giselle Davies

I really have nothing I could add since I am not aware of the question you raised here. But as a matter of principle, the IOC does not make comments on countries, laws, sovereign issues and so forth. We would not do that in any country. So I'm not going to enter into that here in China.

German TV

I would have another question to Giselle regarding the Olympic spirit. Because we've heard you now praising the location, the venues, the technical events of the Olympic but the Olympics were something else before. You don't get rid of all these questions about press freedom, demonstration, Tibet. Don't you think this Games harms the Olympic movement?

Giselle Davies

I'm not sure I fully understood your question but I will try to answer it as best as I can. If your question is somehow about whether the Olympic movement will leave Beijing feeling that it made the right question to come here, the answer is yes.

Back in 2001 when the IOC members elected Beijing, they did so based primarily on a superbly well presented technical bid to host 28 sports, 10,000 athletes and 22,000 media plus the spectators and the watching world. You will get a full appraisal on this tomorrow from the IOC president. But where we are sitting now, we feel that this country has developed enormously through sports and the Games is a sport event that has allowed the world and the cultures to better know each other. It's part of the process and we will leave here with all the media making you an appraisal some of it positive some of it negative. But from where the IOC sits, we feel very firmly in the belief that it was the right choice to come to China and to Beijing. The Olympic Games has been enormously successful on the number of fronts. And to add as well as I mentioned on a number of occasions in this briefing that the feedback we get through surveys and other information from the general public boxed our beliefs that the Beijing 2008 has been a hugely successful event, simply having the world's media here doing their job reporting being able to do so, writing all the different perspectives you had, as you look back in time and look at this as an important moment on the landscape.

Wang Wei

I do have some follow up on Giselle's comments. I think about your question. The answer I have that there are so many criticisms in this room. This reflects how biased some of the media are about China, how little the media understand China. The same experience also tested when the torch relay outside China. I think the Olympic Games staged in China provides a good window, good showcasing for the real China. I think the history will show what China is really like, how china advances progressing along a wide path. The history will show how correct the decision the IOC took in 2001 in awarding the Olympic Games to China.

With regard to the issue in Tibet, people do not know the issue about Tibet. I said before you should ask ordinary people in Beijing, in China or even Tibet. I've been to Tibet twice myself. In Tibet, I would like to say a few words. It's not the obligation of BOCOG but since you raised so many questions about Tibet, I am obliged to say a few things about that. In 1998, I was the Secretary General of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission. I went to Tibet to support the education in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. At that point, I think the population in Tibet is something like 2.34 million people and the state sponsored Tibet with the funding like 2.34 million RMB. That's a lot of money. So every Tibetan will get something like 10,000 RMB a year. At the same time, all the provinces in China are encouraged to support Tibet. For Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, there are two cities, and that's Beijing and one Jiangsu Province, one of the largest province. The province and the city are competing against each in supporting Tibet. I have friends in Tibet who generally welcome the reform and opening up policy. Their living standards have been drastically improved. They liked that. I think it's better for you to know something before you come to the conclusion. That's how China is progressing. China is developing. That is why people walk on the streets are so happy, are so optimistic to talk about their own tomorrow.

The athletes are happy here about their performance, competition, venues and everything they see. But media, somehow, want to write their articles, want to find something to write about. I understand. But you can not do it at the cost of sacrificing the people of the world. Tell the true stories please. Thank you.

AP

Mr. Wang, about 2 nights ago the new China looked liked the old China. The Associated Press had 2 photographers out trying to photograph a Tibetan protests. They were bundled away, cameras are taken away. They were pushed to the ground, put in the car, taken away, police never identified themselves, were held. Would you explain this kind of behavior? Giselle, you promised a week ago that this would not happen again but it happened again. Your comments please.

Wang Wei

Thank you for your questions. To be accurate, I will do it in Chinese again. Based on the information we obtained from the police. On 21st of August at 00:05 a.m., the National Stadium to its southwest on Beichen Bridge, 6 Tibetans separatist showed the flag of the separatist movement and cried slogans. The people there were indignant and tried to prevent them from doing so. Whether you like it or not, Tibetan separation is not popular in China. The police in order to prevent the aggravation of the situation and any possible injuries to the pedestrians took the 6 separatist to the police station for investigation, 2 were found to be AP journalists. There was no confiscation of the belongings of the journalists. That's the information we obtained from the police.

AP

The AP photographers were not part of the protests. They were trying to photograph the protest. They were taken away, the camera, the digital recording device was taken away. Nobody identified themselves. They were never identified by who they were. They were not part of the protests. Giselle, your comment on this.

Wang Wei

As I told you, that's the information I got so far. Thank you.

Giselle Davies

We can go to your questions on a separate incident but similarities. I say clearly on behalf of the IOC that we would not want to see that happen again. It's unfortunate what happened in this incident clearly and it does appear from the information that we got and we've talked to BOCOG about it and have gone to the authorities about it that there were some kind of confusion as has been explained between who were protesting and the media who within their regulations endeavored to cover their protests. I think however it is important to stress that that could not have been happened and I think you were given explanation on that.

We have seen in the vast majority of cases here. We've had 20,000 to 30,000 media in the city over the past weeks. And in the vast majority of cases, there haven't been incidents. So we didn't want to see any incidents happening. I think you have had an explanation given to you today by BOCOG to you today. The confusions seems to have a reason, in this specific AP case.

Reporter from Canada

I am from Canada I would like to put my question in French if I may. On the two individuals, who were sent to re-edcuation camp and reform camp before, I would like to a response in English, and a reaction in French. And also to Ms. Davies, the freedom of information and right of freedom of expression guaranteed by the Chinese government.

Wang Wei

As I told you before, the two women were sentenced to one year in the reform camp because they were found mis-conduct in public areas or destruction of public order. That sentence happened on July 30, before the Olympic Games. I think it is isolated events, with regards to the later events, to apply for protest, but after explanation by the police, they left. That was happening after the 5 of aug. that is the timing we got from the police bureau. Thank you.

Giselle Davies

Thank you for your question. A few days ago, that same question were raised during a briefing and I said we would look at that with the organizers. But that has been done by the IOC, you heard Mr. Wang Wei's explanation. It is one case, it is not to do with the Olympics, but it regards Chinese law.

Wall Street Journal

I would like to ask you Mr. Wang about the protest zones of the city, if you can give us an update on what protest of any would be going on. From the IOC, whether you are satisfied that the protest zones have been sufficient if there has been no protest.

Wang Wei

Now, thank you for your question. Sorry I have not heard of any update about the protest reports. So that is all I can tell you at the moment. Thank you.

Giselle Davies

Hi, Jeffery. I think we addressed this in the past briefings, but in case you have missed, the IOC would like to see the protest zones genuinely being used. But let me stress again, that is not area that falls under the direct remit, it is something that is within the city authorities. So we are not in a position to take that. But of course, we would like to see it is being generously used.

Sun Weide

Ok with that I believe we come to the end of this press conference. I would like to thank our three guests, Frank, Chris, and Liu Wenbin. Also I would like to thank Mr. Wang Wei and Giselle Davies. You have been always waiting to make yourself available. And also I would like to thank volunteers and interpreters who are working so hard in the past few weeks. Last but not least, I would like thank our friends from the media whose work is so important in the Olympics Games. I look forward to seeing some of you in the Paralympic Games. Thank you so much. Good bye.