Jacques Rogge against a “better world”?

The Economist blog “Certain ideas of Europe” describes the China argumentation of IOC boss Jacques Rogge. His defensive approach can be summarised with the following statements: “be reasonable, old chap, what can we do?” and “we don’t do politics but things are much better than you think” combined with some claims about the successes of “quiet diplomacy”…

Apologists for the Beijing Olympics usually use one or a combination of these lines of argumentation. Interestingly, the argument that the IOC is involved in some quiet diplomacy (which would slowly improve things in China) contradicts the claim that the Olympic games do not have anything to do with politics and that the IOC is an unpolitical actor …

The post ends with Mr Rogge’s opinion about the “protest badges”:

Mr Rogge was asked his personal opinion of badges that some athletes, notably from France, want to wear during the Olympics, which the IOC looks set to ban as being too “political” to permit in the Olympic village. The badge is very unlikely to be permitted, said Mr Rogge, noting that athletes have said that the badge “signifies that they are not indifferent to what goes on in China.” Was that not clearly political, asked the Olympic boss. And the motto on these outrageously political and provocative badges? Since you ask, the proposed badges carry the words: “For a better world.”