IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 601
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that without improve-
ment in human rights the Olympic Games in the year 2008 should
not be held in Beijing in the People’s Republic of China.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 28, 2000
Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. COX, Mr. WOLF, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey,
Ms. PELOSI, Mr. PORTER of Illinois, and Mr. ROHRABACHER) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Inter-
national Relations
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that
without improvement in human rights the Olympic
Games in the year 2008 should not be held in Beijing
in the People’s Republic of China.
Whereas the International Olympic Committee is now in the
process of determining the venue of the Olympic Games
in the year 2008 and is scheduled to make that decision
at the IOC meeting scheduled for Moscow in July 2001;
Whereas the city of Beijing has made a proposal to the Inter-
national Olympic Committee that the summer Olympic
Games in the year 2008 be held in Beijing;
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Whereas the Olympic Charter states that ‘‘Olympism’’ and
the Olympic ideal seek to foster ‘‘respect for universal
fundamental ethical principles’’;
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly; in resolution
48/11 adopted on October 25, 1993, recognized ‘‘that the
Olympic goal of the Olympic Movement is to build a
peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the
world through sport, practiced without discrimination of
any kind and the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual
understanding, promoted by friendship, solidarity and
fair play’’;
Whereas United National General Assembly in resolution 50/
13 of November 7, 1995, stressed ‘‘the importance of the
principles of the Olympic charter, according to which any
form of discrimination with regard to a country or a per-
son on grounds of race, religion, politics, sex or otherwise
is incompatible with the Olympic Movement’’;
Whereas the State Department’s Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices for 1999 reports that:
(1) ‘‘The [Chinese] government continued to commit
widespread and well-documented human rights abuses, in
violation of internationally accepted norms.’’
(2) ‘‘Abuses included instances of extra judicial
killings, torture and mistreatment of prisoners, forced
confessions, arbitrary arrest and detention, lengthy in-
communicado detention, and denial of due process.’’
(3) ‘‘The Government infringed on citizens’ privacy
rights.’’
(4) ‘‘The Government tightened restrictions on free-
dom of speech and of the press, and increased controls
on the Internet; selfcensorship by journalists also in-
creased.’’
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(5) ‘‘The Government severely restricted freedom of
assembly and continued to restrict freedom of associa-
tion.’’
(6) ‘‘The Government continued to restrict freedom
of religion and intensified controls on some unregistered
churches.’’
(7) ‘‘The Government continued to restrict freedom
of movement.’’
(8) ‘‘The Government does not permit independent
domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to mon-
itor publicly human rights conditions.’’
(9) ‘‘Violence against women, including coercive
family planning practices—which sometimes include
forced abortion and forced sterilization; prostitution; dis-
crimination against women; trafficking in women and
children; abuse of children; and discrimination against
the disabled and minorities are all problems.’’
(10) ‘‘The Government continued to restrict tightly
worker rights, and forced labor in prison facilities re-
mains a serious problem. Child labor persists.’’
(11) ‘‘Particularly serious human rights abuses per-
sisted in some minority area, especially in Tibet and
Xingjiang, where restrictions on religion and other funda-
mental freedoms intensified.’’;
Whereas, according to press reports, Liu Qi, the Mayor of
Beijing, told a rally called to promote Beijing’s bid to
host the Olympic Games that the government would ‘‘res-
olutely smash and crack down on Falun Gong and other
evil cults’’ in preparation for hosting the games;
Whereas the egregious human rights abuses committed by
the Government of China are inconsistent with the Olym-
pic ideal; and
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Whereas on July 26, 1993, the House of Representatives
adopted House Resolution 188 in the 103rd Congress
which expressed the sense of the House of Representa-
tives that the Olympics in the year 2000 should not be
held in Beijing or elsewhere in the People’s Republic of
China: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) welcomes the participation of Chinese ath-
letes in the Olympic Games, notes the outstanding
competitive effort of Chinese athletes in the games
in Sydney, Australia, where Chinese athletes placed
third in the number of medals earned, and in At-
lanta, Georgia, and Barcelona, Spain, where Chinese
athletes also placed third in the number of medals
earned, and wholeheartedly welcomes the support of
the Chinese people for the Olympic Games;
(2) acknowledges that the Chinese people and
thousands of Chinese Olympic athletes have shown
their strong support for the Olympic spirit through
their commitment to excellence, energy, skill, sports-
manship, and good will towards their fellow athletes;
(3) expresses the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that the Olympic Games in the year
2008 should not be held in Beijing in the People’s
Republic of China because the deplorable human
rights record of the People’s Republic of China vio-
lates international human rights standards which
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that Government has pledged to uphold and its ac-
tions are inconsistent with the Olympic ideal;
(4) expresses the view that the House looks for-
ward to the day when the House can support a pro-
posal of the People’s Republic of China to host the
Olympic Games at a time when the Chinese people
openly enjoy the tolerance and freedoms espoused by
the high ideals of the Olympic tradition; and
(5) directs the Clerk of the House of Represent-
atives to transmit a copy of this resolution to the
Chairman of the International Olympic Committee
and to the United States representative to the Inter-
national Olympic Committee with the request that it
be circulated to all members of the Committee.
Æ