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Chang supports China's bid Former French Open champ will be goodwill ambassador
LONDON (Reuters) -- Former French Open champion Michael Chang, whose family hails from China, is to act as a "Goodwill Ambassador" for Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, bid officials said on Monday. The U.S. player, who is very popular in Asia and once practiced hitting a ball against the Great Wall of China in an advertising campaign, will be part of the bid to bring the Games to the world's most populous country for the first time. Beijing is the favorite to win the International Olympic Committee (IOC) vote in Moscow on July 13 but faces opposition from strong rivals Toronto and Paris. Japan's Osaka and Istanbul, the other cities in the vote, are regarded as outsiders. Beijing's bid has come under fire from U.S lawmakers and Tibetan protestors in the last few months who criticize the country's record on human rights. But Chang said: "I am deeply honored to be Goodwill Ambassador to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Bid. "I believe it will bring a legacy to the people of China should the Olympics be held in Beijing. My heritage will always remain from China and I understand how enthusiastic the Chinese people are about sport and how determined the Chinese people are towards Olympic spirit. "I know Beijing is determined to make the 2008 Olympics the best ever." Chang was due to talk to the media about his involvement in London later on Monday. Beijing's bid has had its opponents. Last week the IOC said it had received threatening letters, allegedly from a "faction of the Tibetan Youth Congress," warning IOC members of attacks if they vote for the Chinese capital. But the Tibetan Youth Congress denied the allegation on Monday. The Tibetan group, made up of young Tibetans living in exile in India and around the world, has no history of violent attacks, said Karma Yeshi, vice president of the body.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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