French athletes hope 'for a better world' in Beijing
Uniform badge proposed as a compromise between boycott and inaction
Last Updated: Friday, April 4, 2008 | 4:20 PM ET
CBC Sports
A group of French athletes wants to wear a badge emblazoned with the words "For a better world" at the Beijing Olympics to show support for human rights in Tibet.
The proposed crest, intended to symbolize humanitarian and Olympic values the athletes say China is violating, features the words "France" and "Pour un monde meilleur" — "For a better world" in French — above the five Olympic rings.
Several French athletes want to wear a badge that says 'For a better world' in French at the Beijing Olympics, in response to China's crackdown in Tibet.
(Michael Sawyer/Associated Press)
"The situation in China is certainly intolerable," said two-time Olympic canoeing champion Tony Estanguet at the badge's unveiling on Friday.
To resounding applause, Estanguet told the crowd that boycotting the Games was not a solution, adding, "I can assure you that [the situation in China] is insupportable for us sports people."
The French press corps and French government have made some of the loudest calls for boycott.
In March, President Nicolas Sarkozy became one of the first world leaders to speak of the possibility of a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Paris-based media freedom group Reporters Without Borders has been one of the most vocal activist groups in support of a modified boycott of the Beijing games.
Friday's event was attended by about 20 French athletes, some of them slated to compete in Beijing this August.
The athletes plan to petition the International Olympic Committee for permission to wear the badge.
While the IOC prohibits the display of political slogans or symbols on uniforms at the Olympics, the petitioners hope the IOC will deem the wording and image on the badge acceptable.
The proposal is the product of weeks of deliberation among French athletes about how they should respond to the crackdown in Tibet and to the broader question of human rights in China.
With files from the Associated Press
