'We are not a super world government': IOC on China's human rights issue
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"This is in the remit of politics. We have to live up to our responsibilities in our areas of responsibility."
The International Olympics Association on Friday said that it is not a "super world government" that can resolve political issues in China ahead of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. The statement came after several activists said that the IOC ignored CHina's human rights violation on Tibetans and Uighurs.
"We are taking this very seriously," IOC President Thomas Bach told a news conference when asked specifically about claims of rights violations in China. "Human rights and labour rights and others are and will be part of the host city contract."
"We are working very closely with the organising committee. We are monitoring supply chains, labour rights, freedom of the press and many other issues. This is our responsibility," he said at the end of a virtual IOC session.
On Friday, the United States condemned China for its abuse of ethnic and religious minorities, including what it called "crimes against humanity and genocide" in Xinjiang against Muslim Uighurs and severe restrictions in Tibet.
"We are not a super world government where the IOC could solve or even address issues for which not a United Nations security council, no G7, no G20 has a solution," Bach said.
"This is in the remit of politics. We have to live up to our responsibilities in our areas of responsibility."
Chinese capital Beijing will be hosting the Summer and Winter Olympics next year. IOC came under serious criticism after this given the country's human rights record.
Representatives of Tibetan and Hong Kong groups as well as the world's largest group of exiled ethnic Uighurs said earlier on Friday the IOC had not acted on their concerns after meeting them in October.
(Inputs from Agency)