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... The best excuse Rogge has mustered [for refusing to hold a moment of silence commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre of Israeli athletes] is that a commemoration wouldn't be appropriate. He apparently forgot about the moment of silence for the besieged city of Sarajevo at the start of the 1984 Winter Games. And the moment of silence at the close of the 1996 Games for victims of the Centennial Park bombing. And Rogge has certainly forgotten the opening of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. A tattered American flag recovered from the World Trade Center on...

..... ....When Jacques Rogge refused that request, he did so stating explicitly (according to Israeli reports) that the opening ceremonies were not a fit place to remember the Munich massacre. At that interview, Ms Spitzer asked Rogge point-blank, ‘is it because the athletes are Israeli?’ Mr Rogge remained stone silent. He would not answer the question. ..... As if to remind us that outright discrimination aimed at Israel was not exceptional, but was rather part of the Olympic fabric, we learned several hours before the opening ceremonies that members of the Lebanese judo team were outraged that day because they...

BEIJING - The International Olympic Committee will not intervene to pressure China on Tibet or other political issues in the countdown to the Beijing Games. IOC president Jacques Rogge reiterated that stance Friday, saying it was not up to the Olympic body to get involved in the host country's political affairs. "This is the line we do not have to cross," he said at the close of a two-day IOC executive board meeting in the Chinese capital. China's recent crackdown in Tibet has fueled protests that have disrupted the global torch relay for the Beijing Games. Rogge has expressed hope...

Athletes who display Tibetan flags at Olympic venues — including in their own rooms — could be expelled from this summer’s Games in Beijing under anti-propaganda rules. Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said that competitors were free to express their political views but faced sanctions if they indulged in propaganda. He accompanied those comments with an admission that the Games were in “crisis” after pro-Tibet protests engulfed the Olympic torch relay. Mr Rogge’s call for Beijing to abide by its promise to address human rights was given short shrift by Beijing, which bluntly told him...

BEIJING - Crisis. Disarray. Sadness. Four months before the opening of what was supposed to be the grandest Olympics in history, the head of the International Olympic Committee is using words that convey anything but a sense of joyous enthusiasm. The protest-marred Olympic torch relay and international criticism of China's policies on Tibet, Darfur and human rights have turned the Beijing Games into one of the most politically charged in recent history and presented the IOC with one of its toughest tests since the boycott era of the 1970s and '80s. "It is a crisis, there is no doubt about...

SINGAPORE - Beijing's heavy pollution may hurt the performances of athletes in this summer's Olympic Games, although it will not endanger their health, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said Saturday. The IOC in recent months has acknowledged the possibility that athletes' performances may be affected by China's pollution. But Chinese leaders have made repeated assurances that Beijing's notorious smog will be solved before the Olympic Games begin. "The health of the athletes is absolutely not in any danger," Rogge said Saturday. "It might be that some will have to have a slightly reduced performance, but nothing will harm the...

China: Countdown To Olympics 2008 Has “Truth Harbingers Exposing Evil” By John E. Carey Peace and Freedom August 8, 2007Today marks one year from the official start of the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008. China started the 365 day countdown with a grand event in Tiananmen Square.International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge marked the start of the one-year countdown with a lavish Chinese-style ceremony that stared on the 8th day, of the 8th month at 8 PM and 8 minutes 8 seconds.Eight is a lucky number in China.But Tiananmen Square has not been lucky in China, especially for those seeking democratic...

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge hopes that Africa will soon host the Olympic Games. He said he was not surprised that the continent had never hosted the games as no Africa country had shown interest. "To host the Olympic Games, one must first be a candidate and bid for them," he said. The IOC boss was speaking at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), where he donated sports equipment worth US US$50,000 towards the Kakuma refugee camp. He said he hopes to see Africa hosting major events especially after South Africa won the bid to host...