Reps. call for Beijing Olympics boycott

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Eight Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have co-sponsored a resolution calling for a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

House Resolution 610, which was introduced just prior to Congress' August recess, is one of three proposed resolutions calling for a boycott of the Games, citing China's human rights record as the prime motivation behind the possible move, The Hill reported Thursday.

The resolution by Republican Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Calif.; Joseph Pitts, Penn.; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Fla.; Thaddeus McCotter, Mich.; John Doolittle, Calif.; Dan Burton, Ind.; Frank Wolf, Va., and Christopher Smith, N.J., compares the 2008 Games to the 1936 Olympics in Nazi-ruled Berlin.

The resolution says the German Olympics illustrated that "the integrity of the host country is of the utmost importance so as not to stain the participating athletes or the character of the Games."

The resolution criticizes China's role in human rights abuses in Sudan, North Korea, Burma and domestically. It calls for the Games to be boycotted by the United States unless China takes "immediate steps" to change its policies.