After sharp criticism of the use of the Uyghur torchbearer at the opening ceremony of the Winter Games in Beijing, the Olympic organizers have defended their selection.

“She's an Olympic athlete who competes here.

She is absolutely eligible to take part in the torch relay," said Mark Adams, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Saturday.

On the other hand, Uyghur groups and human rights activists spoke of a targeted and "shameful" propaganda campaign.

The cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who has hardly appeared up to now, had lit the fire with the Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen on Friday.

The choice of the 20-year-old athlete caused a stir as China's leadership has come under international criticism for its treatment of the Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region.

The USA and other countries justified their political boycott of the celebration with the persecution of the Uyghurs and human rights violations.

It was the "most political move to date," with the IOC still claiming the games are "apolitical," commented Zumretay Erkin of the Uyghur World Congress on Twitter.

"China is giving the rest of the world the middle finger," said Yaqiu Wang of Human Rights Watch.

"I hope these international dignitaries who have come will reflect on how history judges their presence," Wang said, citing UN Secretary-General António Guterres as an example.

The IOC did not want to say more precisely how it was involved in the decision about the torch bearer.

When selecting the last torchbearers, the aim was to show how the legacy was passed on from one generation to the next, said the star Chinese director responsible for the opening, Zhang Yimou.

Therefore, athletes born between the 1950s and 2000s were selected.

Dinigeer Yilamujiang was born in Xinjiang in 2001.

This idea of ​​generations is "excellent," said IOC spokesman Adams.

According to human rights activists, at least one million Uyghurs and other members of minorities have been sent to re-education camps in Xinjiang in recent years, which Chinese officials have described as “further education facilities.

There are reports of torture, ill-treatment and ideological indoctrination in the camps.

Tensions between the ruling Han Chinese and ethnic minorities have long existed in Xinjiang.

Since the bloody riots in 2009 and several terrorist attacks, the security forces have been cracking down.

Uyghurs lament cultural and religious oppression while Beijing accuses them of separatism.

After taking power in Beijing in 1949, the communists incorporated the former East Turkestan into the People's Republic.

Cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang has not made an appearance so far this World Cup season. Last year she finished 41st in the 10 km freestyle at the World Championships in Oberstdorf. One day after her highly acclaimed performance at the opening ceremony, she finished 43rd in the skiathlon on Saturday. She finished in Zhangjiakou 5:57 minutes behind gold medalist Therese Johaug of Norway.

The international criticism in the media after the opening ceremony was great.

The Guardian wrote: "When the two-hour show reached its spectacular conclusion and two young athletes united to light the Olympic flame, things hit a snag.

One of those who performed the symbolic act was Chinese cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who is of Uyghur descent.

To put it mildly, it was a highly provocative act.”