UPDATE 1-Greek police stop Tibet activists' protest

(Adds quotes, details, background, IOC reaction)

By Renee Maltezou

ATHENS, June 5 (Reuters) - Greek police removed Tibetan activists who blocked the venue of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) conference in Athens on Thursday.

Police lifted the campaigners, who had lain down at the entrance to the venue, and moved them away. The activists shouted "Shame on the IOC" and "Tibetans are dying".

About seven members of the Students For a Free Tibet group, some draped with Tibetan flags, took part in the protest, demanding the IOC cancels the Olympic torch relay in Tibet and puts pressure on China on human rights.

"There is still time to do the right thing and cancel the Tibet leg of the torch relay," said head campaigner Han Shan.

Activists have caused serious disruptions to the Olympic torch relay ahead of the Aug. 8-24 Games in Beijing, protesting against a Chinese crackdown in Tibet, which China has ruled since a 1950 invasion.

The group, which has disrupted the torch relay from its start in ancient Olympia and on its route through European cities, said the IOC had not exerted any pressure on China or held it accountable for violations against Tibetans.

"The Chinese government is betraying the commitments it made to press freedom in its bid for the Games," Han Shan said.

Activists said the situation in Tibet was critical and called on the IOC to put pressure China to cancel the torch relay there and allow foreign journalists to enter the region.

"There is no media in Tibet," Han Shan said. "And the IOC is tainting the very image of the Olympics by doing nothing whatsoever to hold Chinese officials accountable to their promise of free and open media reporting."

Members of the group gathered in Athens for an IOC board meeting to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Olympics, before the final decision in October 2009. Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro made the first cut.

The IOC, which has avoided the political debate, said in a statement the Olympics inevitably bring wider attention to a host country. "The Olympic Games shine a spotlight on any host country's activities and draw attention to non-sports-related issues. What happened this morning is an example of that," it said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Writing by Dina Kyriakidou, Editing by Richard Williams)