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Yesterday morning was marked by at least two prominent events in Sydney: the Pope arrives, and the Australian Tibet Council (ATC) gave a launch on their information pack. Though the Pope arriving is of great interest to many, I am personally more excited about the ATC information pack launch – and was involved. The pack is designed to offer up to date information on the situation in Tibet, as well as information on the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way approach for Tibet. It’s a fantastic guide we can all use to educate ourselves, and contains useful information about the Olympic Charter and guidelines.
Within the pack is a t-shirt that reads (in both English and Mandarin) ‘I support Human Rights’, and a badge that is an exact replica of the one worn by Peter Norman in the 1968 Olympics saying ‘Olympic Project for Human Rights’. The Australian Olympic Committee came out nearly immediately after the launch saying that no athlete should take this t-shirt of badge in to the Olympic arena as it is in direct conflict with the Olympic Charter that states that political propaganda is banned from Olympic venues. Human rights are not political, they are universal. Therefore the t-shirt and badge are not in conflict with the Olympic Charter, and therefore should be up to individual discretion as to whether they are taken in. As always, I support the choices of the athletes, and am adamantly against any athletes being either pressured to speak out, or restricted against expressing their concerns. If anyone would like more information on the packs, please visit the Australian Tibet Council at: http://www.atc.org.au/ Furthermore, for recent media attention directed at the packs, please feel free to click on the following links: Internationally:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7505869.stm Thanks for your interest!
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