Beijing: Canadian pop star Celine Dion voiced her support for the upcoming Beijing Olympics here, saying she was "definitely against boycotting" the games.

"When you talk about the Olympics, you don't say politics," she said at a press conference. "We talk about power. We talk about love. And we talk about dreams."

The Quebec native sang the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the "Power of the Dream". Dion called on all people to "keep the dream possible for our young kids".

She came to Beijing to express support for the games after her concert in Shanghai on Friday. On Saturday, the chanteuse received a gift sculpture from Zhao Dongming, director of the cultural activities department of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).

On learning the name of the sculpture, "eternal flame", Dion said "keep the flame eternal".

Many foreign governments and senior officials have expressed support for the Beijing Olympics, condemning the deeds of those disrupting the Olympic torch relay and politicising the sports event.

Baleka Mbete, speaker of South Africa's national assembly, said on Friday at a press conference for the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) that appeals for boycotting the Olympics and disrupting the torch relay would never gain popular support.

She said any person with conscience would condemn such deeds of obstructing the Olympic Games that was a grand sports occasion for the entire human race. IPU Secretary-General Anders B. Johnsson also told reporters that the IPU was strongly opposed to violent deeds and was against any act of obstructing the games.

South Korea, Thailand, Peru, Afghanistan and many other countries also expressed support.

 

Source : IANS