The Olympic chief reiterated his support for the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday in the Chinese capital, saying that athletes will be the only victims of any boycott.

"We would obviously prefer that politicians not talk about boycotts There would be no boycott on the sporting side because we have given reassurance of the unity of the entire Olympic Movement this week. The sport movement says 'no' to boycotts," Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said.

Rogge had just concluded a week of meetings in Beijing with representatives of 205 national and regional Olympic committees and IOC members.