The Olympic countdown-clock at the National Museum of China.The Olympic flag. On Monday, the Olympic torch for the 2008 Summer Olympics was lit in Olympia , Greece as per tradition. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad are scheduled to be held in and around Beijing, China from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008. While Liu Qi , president of the Beijing Organizing Committee and a former mayor of Beijing, delivered a speech, at least one protester was able to run up behind him and display a flag that resembled the Olympic flag , except it was black and the rings were handcuffs . "Shame on China. Don't send China's blood-tainted torch to Tibet. Free Tibet. Tibet is an independent country," shouted Tenzin Dorjee, a leader for Students for a Free Tibet , while he was taken by police. Jacques Rogge , president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended having the Games in China, saying, "The major political leaders don't want a boycott." Germany's Olympic Committee rejected a boycott of the games aimed at events in Tibet. Noting that the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott did not avert the Soviet war in Afghanistan , the president of the committee said they concluded that the role of sports is to start dialog and promote understanding — and not to exert political pressure.
The Olympic countdown-clock at the National Museum of China.The Olympic flag. On Monday, the Olympic for the 2008 Summer Olympics was lit in , Greece as per tradition. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad are scheduled to be held in and around Beijing, China from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008. While , president of the and a former mayor of Beijing, delivered a speech, at least one protester was able to run up behind him and display a flag that resembled the , except it was black and the rings were . "Shame on China. Don't send China's blood-tainted torch to Tibet. Free Tibet. Tibet is an independent country," shouted Tenzin Dorjee, a leader for , while he was taken by police. , president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended having the Games in China, saying, "The major political leaders don't want a boycott." Germany's Olympic Committee rejected a boycott of the games aimed at events in Tibet. Noting that the did not avert the , the president of the committee said they concluded that the role of sports is to start dialog and promote understanding — and not to exert political pressure.
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torch
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Olympia
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Liu Qi
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Beijing Organizing Committee
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Olympic flag
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handcuffs
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Students for a Free Tibet
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Jacques Rogge
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1980 Summer Olympics boycott
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Soviet war in Afghanistan