Copenhagen, January 30: Danish Crown Prince Frederik faces some tough choices in connection with the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, mainly if he should attend the opening ceremony or not. Three parties in the Danish parliament have backed calls urging the future heir to the Danish throne to avoid the opening ceremony to protest Beijing’s human rights record.
Britain’s Prince Charles was recently reported to have decided to boycott the ceremony.
A leading member of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s Liberal Party on Wednesday joined the fray saying it was necessary to discuss the crown prince’s possible attendance at the opening ceremony.
Foreign affairs spokesman Soren Pind said on his personal website that it did matter if the crown prince “attended an event that in my view is more and more akin to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games,” referring to the games hosted by Nazi-ruled Germany.
The Danish premier Tuesday said that he did not want to mix sports and politics, and that it would seem strange if the crown prince was not present when Danish athletes were to compete.
In addition to steering clear of politics, Crown Prince Frederik also has to keep on good terms with the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since he is vying for a place on the IOC when Denmark’s current IOC member Kai Holm steps down.
Frederik met his wife, Australian-born Crown Princess Mary, at a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympics. They were married in 2004.
