On Monday, the starting shot was fired for the Winter Games in Beijing when the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece.

But the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) choice to host another Olympics in China, following the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, has received scathing criticism.

Both politicians and organizations have opposed the decision and pointed to the country's lack of respect for human rights.

"Genocide Olympics"

China's treatment of the Muslim minority group Uighurs has led 180 human rights organizations to join forces to boycott the championship.

And one of the 180, the Uighur World Congress, has renamed the Games in Beijing to the "Genocide Olympics".

- I think that's sad.

I do not have that view myself, then I refrain from making any political comment.

Sport is the world's largest peace movement, then we can hope that all appointed politicians can solve issues so we get full democracy throughout the world, says IOC's longtime member Gunilla Lindberg to Radiosporten.

"Nothing wins"

Lindberg does not think that the problems in China are the IOC's responsibility.

- It can not lie on the shoulders of the sports movement.

The IOC is not a political organization.

We work with countries that are part of the international community, which is the UN, and work for peace, understanding and building bridges between countries.

It also counts.

- You gain nothing by keeping them isolated, on the contrary.

You open countries.

Lindberg believes that it is the same show with the World Cup in Qatar next year, which has been criticized for lack of human rights and then mainly against migrant workers.

- The same thinking there.

I have worked a lot with Saudi Arabia where we discussed the women's issue and where they now happily tell us that they have 25 different teams with women's national teams.

Without sports, this would never happen.

It is definitely not perfect, but you still push it in some way.

It is not negative for the country.

CLIP: Debated the proposal: WC every other year (14/9)

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Fifa has proposed to hold the World Cup every other year Photo: Bildbyrån / TT