Singapore on Tuesday voiced its strong opposition to the calls to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games in August this year.
"The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports opposes the call from some quarters to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games," said the ministry in a statement on Tuesday night.
Singapore's Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said in the statement that a boycott will mean many missed opportunities for better cross-border and inter-cultural understanding.
It will also be a great disappointment for all the athletes who have trained so hard to fulfill their dreams of competing in the Olympics, he added.
The minister stressed that sports should be separated from politics.
"I believe it is vital to keep sporting competitions and politics separate. We must not let politics obstruct the celebration of sports and all that it stands for," he said.
Singapore is a firm believer in the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect, he said, adding that the Games will provide a golden opportunity for athletes from all over the world to compete on a friendly basis, interact with each other, and carry out fruitful dialogue and build lasting relationships.
In addition, Ng Ser Miang, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board member from Singapore, has also rejected the idea of boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games.
On Monday, he said in Switzerland that people should separate sports from politics, and as an IOC member, he believed that it was counter-productive to boycott the Beijing Games for any reason.
Source: Xinhua
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