China has expressed its concerns about the "politicisation of sports events" to the International Olympic Committee after a series of incidents that have alarmed Beijing, including a US-led diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games and recent anthem blunders involving Hong Kong teams.
The issue was raised when Premier Li Qiang met Thomas Bach, the head of the IOC, in Beijing over the weekend and vowed to deepen cooperation with the sports body.
"China's efforts to promote the Olympic spirit will never cease, and [China is] ready to work with IOC to oppose the politicisation of sports, and make further contributions to the Olympic movement," Li said, according to the official news agency Xinhua.
It is not known whether Li mentioned any specific incidents, but it is rare for China to raise such concerns with the IOC in public and it was the first time it had made such comments since the Winter Olympics in Beijing early last year.
The United States and several of its allies took part in a diplomatic boycott of the Games, citing alleged human rights abuse in China's far west region of Xinjiang. Beijing has repeatedly denied the accusation and said it opposes any attempts to politicise sporting events.
In February a song linked to the 2019 anti-government protests was played instead of China's national anthem after Hong Kong beat Iran in February at the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship's third division in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China accused the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association of failing to prevent the blunders and it could be penalised as a result.
A similar incident happened last November during a rugby sevens tournament in South Korea when a volunteer at the event downloaded the protest song from Google.
After that incident, the Hong Kong government issued a set of guidelines to sports teams and bodies to avoid a repeat and it has been pressuring Google to ensure that the Chinese national anthem is the top result for related searches.
Beijing is also concerned about the possible use of Taiwan's flag and anthem at international sports events.
The ICO has allowed Taiwan to compete under the name "Chinese Taipei" without presenting itself as a sovereign nation - a compromise that dates back to the 1970s when many countries started to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
Taiwanese athletes compete under a white flag that carries the Olympic rings and play a traditional flag-raising song.
In 2018 the IOC warned Taiwan that it might lose the right to attend international events ahead of a referendum calling for it to change its name from Chinese Taipei to Taiwan ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Beijing regards the self-ruled island as a breakaway province of China that must eventually be reunited with the mainland.
The IOC's Twitter account said Bach and Li had "discussed the great success and legacy of Beijing 2022, plus the geopolitical situation and its impact on sport. They emphasised the unifying mission of sport".
According to Xinhua, Bach told Li: "The IOC is committed to upholding the Olympic spirit, opposing the politicisation of sports, and promoting mutual understanding and unity among humanity."
"China has always attached great importance to developing sports, actively participated in international Olympic affairs, and had fruitful cooperation with the IOC over the years" said Li.
Separately, Gao Zhidan, president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, "discussed the present geopolitical situation and its impact on sport" with Bach in Beijing, according to a statement on the IOC website.
Gao reaffirmed China's support for the IOC's position that allows Russian and Belarusian to take part in international competitions as individuals under a neutral banner.
There had been calls for the two countries to be banned following the invasion of Ukraine, and Russian athletes have previously been forced to compete under a neutral flag because of systematic state-sponsored doping.
Meanwhile China said on Saturday that the Beijing Winter Olympics had recorded a surplus of 350 million yuan (US$52 million).
