Spielberg and Olympics

Spielberg and Olympics:

Steven Spielberg stated that he would not be participting in the 2008 opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing because He believed China was not doing enough to end the crisis in Darfur. Spielberg believes that China has special influence in Sudan because Sudan supplies China with two thirds of its oil exports. Several American groups and organizations praise Spielberg for his decision, believing that Beijing needs to improve its human rights before being allowed to host the olympics. CNN stated "Spielberg's announcement Tuesday could be a major blow to Beijing's promotion of the August 8-24 Olympics as a symbol of China's integration into mainstream global society." While bidding for the 2008 Olympics, China promised to improve human rights within the country. Many believe that China is doing little to live up to that promise. Jiang Yu, the Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, commented on the China-Darfur issue. "To link the Darfur issue to the Olympics is a move to politicize the Olympics and this is inconsistent with the Olympic spirit and will bear no fruit."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/02/13/oly.spielberg.ap/index.html