Late Beijing Games crises are lessons for IOC

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Beijing Games preparations have been an extraordinary experience but the crises that marked the final run-up are important lessons for the future, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the day of the final progress report for Beijing, three days before the Olympics open, IOC chief inspector Hein Verbruggen said the IOC came out richer in ideas.

"Overall, this has been an incredible, extraordinary human experience," Verbruggen told the IOC session. "We are here to celebrate an unforgettable moment in Olympic history."

Verbruggen said Beijing had kept a fast pace throughout the preparations but it was sudden crises that caused concern.

The international torch relay protests that could have led to a sudden Games boycott, Internet censorship and other incidents must be analyzed carefully and lessons drawn, he said.

Violent protests, opposing China's human rights track record and its policies in Tibet and Sudan's Darfur region, tainted the international torch relay for weeks.

"The decision (to award the Games to China) could not be without challenges. We were aware of these although sometimes underestimating some of them," Verbruggen said.

"In the future we need to be more hands on and pro-active," he added. "We cannot allow to be hijacked by pressure groups and vested interests."

BOYCOTT AVERTED

Senior IOC member Dick Pound said Canada came close to snubbing the Games because of the protests.

"In my part of the world we were in full boycott mode," Pound told Verbruggen.

"Public opinion and political opinion was moving towards an actual boycott of the Games and it was only the earthquake tragedy that diverted attention from what could otherwise have been something very, very serious," he said. "This came very close to becoming a disaster."

At least 70,000 people were killed in the May 12 earthquake centered on the southwestern province of Sichuan, prompting an outpouring of sympathy and donations from across the world.

Verbruggen said while the crises would need to be analyzed, it was also clear the IOC was not responsible for events outside its control.

"We are being hosted by the Chinese," Verbruggen said. "The Games must be read within the context of each nation. The IOC and the Olympic movement should not be expected to resolve issues outside the Games," he said.

"We would compromise our mandate and responsibility if we tried to resolve them."

The IOC acknowledged on Saturday it might have been naive when it expected China to allow unfettered media access to the Internet during the Beijing Games. Chinese authorities blocked websites last week but agreed to unblock a number when the IOC, which had vowed there would be unrestricted access, stepped in on Thursday.

IOC President Jacques Rogge praised the preparations and the unrivalled public participation with more than 1.2 million Chinese signing up to help, and hoped the August 8-24 Games would prove to be a major success.

"On the 24th of August I hope I can give a glowing endorsement," he said.

(Editing by Nick Macfie)