Olympics: The International Olympic Committee has vigorously defended its policy of sidestepping political concerns ahead of the Beijing 2008.
IOC member Hein Verbruggen said the implication in an Amnesty International report this week that awarding the 2008 Games to China had made human rights worse was "blatantly untrue".
The Dutchman, chairman of the IOC's inspection commission for the Beijing Games, also attacked politicians who talked about boycotting the opening ceremony of the August 8th-24th Games after doing big business deals with the Chinese.
"We are not a political organisation, so in spite of all the criticism we get, I am not afraid to tell you that we should not speak out on political issues," he said at a news conference at the end of the final IOC inspection.
Amnesty said yesterday the Olympics had failed to instigate reform in China and pledges to improve human rights before the Games looked disingenuous after a string of violations in Beijing and a crackdown in Tibet.
"To say the Games contribute to a worsening situation in human rights, I would call that blatantly untrue," Verbruggen said.
The IOC had earlier released a statement saying it was not its place "to monitor human rights or pressure governments to enact social, economic or political change".
"We do not influence - or even take a stance - on issues that concern sovereign matters outside of our mandate," it said. "The visibility and symbolism of the Olympic Games shines a spotlight on any host country's activities and draws attention to non-sports-related issues.
"Awarding the Olympic Games to China has elevated international dialogue on the situation in Tibet."
Verbruggen said involvement in the internal politics of Olympic host countries would lay the Games open to the sort of boycotts that blighted the 1980 Moscow Olympics and 1984 Los Angeles Games.
He also said any decision to boycott the opening ceremony, or the Olympics themselves, should be made by athletes and not by politicians.