China Answers Questions About Opening Ceremony Athlete

BEIJING (AP) – Beijing Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee have responded to questions about why an athlete from China’s Uyghur community was picked to help deliver the Olympic flame to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games. The cross-country skier at the center of the issue is from Xinjiang province, where Western governments and human rights groups say the Beijing government has oppressed members of the Uyghur Muslim minority on a massive scale. The selection for the high-profile duty was seen by some as a provocation.
Asked about the choice, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said “we don’t discriminate against people on where they are from” and she was entitled to take part as a competitor.