China says US plans to pay athletes to 'sabotage' Beijing Games

BEIJING: China's foreign ministry and an official newspaper have accused the United States of planning to interfere with and "sabotage" the Beijing Winter Olympics by paying athletes from some countries to make half-hearted efforts in competition and to criticise China.

The allegations were made a week before the Games start amid tensions between the two superpowers that has included a diplomatic boycott of the event by the United States, which has been joined by several other countries.

Asked about the Chinese allegations, the US Embassy in Beijing on Saturday reiterated a previous position that Washington was not coordinating a global campaign regarding participation at the Olympics.

China Daily, an English-language newspaper run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party's Publicity Department, on Friday evening cited unnamed sources as saying the United States has a plan to "incite athletes from various countries to express their discontent toward China, play passively in competition and even refuse to take part".

In return, it said, Washington would provide a large amount of compensation and "mobilise global resources" to help protect the reputation of athletes who choose to compete passively.

Asked if the Chinese foreign ministry believes the allegation to be valid, a ministry spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday that the report has "exposed the real intention of some Americans to politicise sports and to sabotage and interfere with the Beijing Winter Olympics".

The spokesperson said he strongly condemned the attempts by some Americans to "buy off" athletes and "cause trouble" during the Games, adding that these attempts are "doomed to fail".

A US Embassy spokesman told Reuters by email on Saturday: "We were not and are not