09 April 2008
Gordon Brown won't attend Olympics opening
(AP) Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics, a spokeswoman said. Downing Street said he was not boycotting the Olympics and would attend the closing ceremony. Brown's decision not to attend the opening ceremony was not aimed at sending a message of protest to the Chinese government, a spokeswoman in line with government policy. "He had never planned to attend", she said. "There is absolutely no change in our position". In March 2008, Brown said he planned to attend the Olympics, without mentioning the opening ceremony. Brown has been under intense pressure from human rights campaigners to skip the opening ceremony on 08 August 2008 to protest against Beijing's ongoing crackdown in Tibet. Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell will represent the British government at the opening of the Beijing Olympics.