Strasbourg, 14th June 2006 – On the occasion of its 53rd meeting, the Tibet Intergroup (TIG) of the European Parliament discussed the topic “Tibet and the 2008 Olympic Games”. Wangpo Tethong, Olympics Campaign Coordinator of International Tibet Support Network
(ITSN) had the opportunity to present the worldwide activities of Tibet Support Groups in the context of this campaign. The meeting, comprised of 50 participants eventually led to the statement that “political pressure must be heightened in the run-up to the Games”.
In his introduction to the meeting, Thomas Mann, Chair of the TIG and member of the European People’s Party, expressed his admiration for the protest in Beijing that had taken place on 8th March. He had taken this protest as a basis for the meeting in the European Parliament to highlight the topic of
Tibet and the 2008 Olympic Games. Prior to the discussions, Wangpo Tethong showed a 15 minute film about the protest in Beijing.
The Parliamentarians asked questions about:
-Timing for possible activities
– Incorporating active athletes into the campaign
– Access to national sport associations
– Role of sponsors in the Olympic Games
– Perception of the campaign by the Chinese people
The Parliamentarians unanimously agreed in their discussions that these initiatives should take effect already in the run-up to the Games and not wait until 2008. In his closing words, Thomas Mann said that the TIG would follow “Tibet and the Olympics” closely and would work on concrete possibilities to support the work of the ITSN campaign on the parliamentary level.
The TIG is comprised of 50 members of the European Parliament made up from the fractions of the European People’s Party, the Greens, Liberals, Social Democrats, the Independence/Democracy Group and the Union for Europe of the Nations Group.
Contact: Wangpo Tethong, +41 78 744 30 10
