Beijing Winter Olympics official says stories of Chinese human rights abuses are 'lies'

Tensions were evident between the International Olympic Committee spokesman and one of his counterparts at the Beijing Organising Committee on Thursday as both answered thorny questions from local and international journalists at the Winter Olympics daily press briefing.

Several sensitive questions regarding human rights, Xinjiang labour camps, Taiwan and Hong Kong were batted away by Mark Adams, consistent with the IOC's stated policy of being politically neutral.

But the Beijing committee's Yan Jiarong was far more hawkish, jumping in before Mr Adams could move on.

When asked about '«concentration camps in Xinjiang and the existence of forced labour», which the UN human rights panel has said could involve more than 1 million Uyghurs, Mr Adams said it was not relevant to the IOC or the press conference.

«We are very concerned with protecting human rights within our sphere, within the Olympic Games and within the staging of the Olympic Games and protecting the rights of the athletes and all participants of the Olympic Games. That is what we do,» he added.

«We leave it to other organisations such as the United Nations and international organisations to look at aspects of outside of what is happening here.»

Ms Yan was quick to respond.

«I feel obliged to make a quick comment. I think these questions are based on lies. Some authorities have already disputed such false information with a lot of solid evidence.»

Taiwan, or as it's called in the Olympic movement, Chinese Taipei, was also raised.

Clarification was sought on whether the IOC had intervened to force the Chinese Taipei delegation to take part in the opening ceremony two weeks ago, after they said they wouldn't.

Ms Yan, again, offered her thoughts once Mr Adams had finished