In response to a letter from the normally completely docile International Olympic Committee complaining that recent remarks made at a torch ceremony in Tibet were political in nature, the PRC's foreign ministry denied any attempt to politicize the Olympics.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao also said he had no knowledge of the IOC letter, but insisted that Zhang's remarks had intended only to foster a "stable and harmonious environment for the Olympics," and did not constitute politicization.
"China's solid position is against the politicizing of the Olympics," Liu said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
Indeed. Here are the entirely apolitical remarks Zhang Qinglin made at the closing ceremony for the torch relay in Tibet:
"The sky above Tibet will never change. The red five-star flag will always fly above this land," said Zhang, referring to the Chinese national flag that was adopted by the communist regime that occupied Tibet in 1951.
"We can definitely smash the separatist plot of the Dalai Lama clique completely," Zhang said.
One can hardly see the politics.
On that note, have there been prior Olympic ceremonies in which a political figure actually referred to smashing their enemies?