At the daily press conference for the Beijing Olympics, things got unusually political. The reaction of the organizers' spokeswoman was fierce.
The spokeswoman for China's Olympic organizers has responded to critical questions from international media representatives with sharp rebukes. Reports about camps for the Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang province are nothing but "lies," Yan Jiarong said in a remarkable press conference Thursday at the Winter Games in Beijing.
Several times, after questions to Mark Adams, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, the otherwise often silent spokeswoman in daily rounds with journalists took the floor without being asked to present China's political position.
Adams had previously said in response to questions about the treatment of Uighurs in northwest China, among other things, "Those are issues outside the Games, those are issues for other people." Human rights activists estimate that hundreds of thousands of Uighurs have been put into re-education camps, which Beijing describes as "training facilities." Adams once again referred to the IOC's political neutrality. read more