(China Daily-Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-26 07:37

NAIROBI: Sport should not be mixed up with politics, and the Olympics is definitely not a stage for politicians, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Sunday.

"Although politics is an essential part of any society, it should not be a part of the Olympics. We will be there in the Olympic arena for fair play and for sharing the Olympic spirit," Kipchoge Keino, who is also chairman of the Kenya National Olympic Committee, told the Xinhua News Agency in an exclusive interview.

Kenya, which has produced some of the world's greatest ever distance runners, has been concentrating on its preparations for the Beijing Games, despite post-election unrest in the country.

"We now have nearly 60 athletes who have qualified to compete. They have been training hard for the past four years," Keino said.

"We don't intend to choose any athlete that has a political, not sports-oriented, purpose."

The former gold medal winner said: "The Olympics is one of the greatest achievements for human beings. We are supposed to be united in the name of the Olympic spirit and sportsmanship. Therefore, we neither support, nor intend to get involved in the current political movements toward the Beijing Olympics."

Politics recently stolen the spotlight of the Beijing Games, after Steven Spielberg quit as artistic advisor to the opening and closing ceremonies, because of his views on China's role in Sudan.

In response, IOC President Jacques Rogge said "the IOC is a sporting, not a political, association. One should not call on the IOC to solve the world's problems".

Meanwhile, the organizing committee for the Beijing Games said, "linking sports and politics was not in line with the Olympic spirit".

Xinhua