Canadian singer Celine Dion (R) and her husband Rene Angelil (C)
attend a TV program in Beijing, China, yesterday. Celine Dion expressed her
admiration for and blessing to Beijing and the 2008 Beijing Olympics during a
press conference on Saturday. -Xinhua
Canadian pop star Celine Dion voiced her support for the upcoming Beijng
Olympic Games yesterday, saying she was "definitely against boycotting" the
Games.
"When you talk about the Olympics, you don't say politics," she said at a
press conference. "We talk about power. We talk about love. And we talk about
dreams."
The Quebec native sang the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the
"Power of the Dream".
Dion called on all people to "keep the dream possible for our young kids".
She came to Beijing to express support for the Games after her concert in
Shanghai on Friday.
On Saturday, the chanteuse received a gift sculpture from Zhao Dongming,
director of the cultural activities department of the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).
On finding out the name of the sculpture, "eternal flame", Dion said "keep
the flame eternal."
Many foreign governments and senior officials have expressed support for the
Beijing Olympic Games, condemning the deeds of those disrupting the Olympic
torch relay and politicizing the sports event.
Baleka Mbete, Speaker of South Africa's National Assembly, said on Friday at
a press conference for the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
that appeals for boycotting the Olympics and disrupting the torch relay would
never gain popular support.
She said any person with conscience would condemn such deeds of obstructing
the Olympic Games that was a grand sports occasion for the entire human race.
IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson also told the press conference that
the IPU was strongly opposed to violent deeds and was against any act of
obstructing the Olympic Games.
The Republic of Korea (ROK), Thailand, Peru, Afghanistan and many other
countries also expressed support.