The architect of the Beijing Olympic Stadium sharply criticized the Chinese regime

Beijing - Chinese internationally recognized artist Ai Weiwei, who contributed to the design of the main stadium for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, wants to boycott this ceremonial event. He disagrees with the "propaganda and ostentation" that he believes the Chinese regime associates with the Olympics in its capital, The Guardian wrote.
    Ai Weiwei, who comes from a family persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party, also criticized American director Steven Spielberg for his participation in the preparation of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.
    A year before the start of the Beijing Olympics, various non-governmental organizations and individuals intensified their activities and began to draw attention again to the fact that the Olympics will take place in a country that still does not respect basic human rights. According to them, the Chinese government continues to illegally imprison dissenters, restricts journalists' travel, and limits media freedom.
    "I would prefer not to be associated with the Olympics or to be completely forgotten," the architect said in this context, who designed the steel lattice that covers the stadium with a capacity of 91,000 spectators from the outside. The giant sports hall, whose design Ai Weiwei created in collaboration with the Swiss company Herzog & de Meuron, is nicknamed the Bird's Nest due to these steel structures.
    "I hate the feeling that advertising or propaganda evokes. It’s a kind of emotion that arises when a person does not stick to the facts but instead tries to come up with something and divert people from the real debate. It is not good for anyone," said Ai Weiwei, who reportedly does not want to be associated with the "disgusting" political conditions in the country. When asked by The Guardian why he worked on the design of the stadium, Ai Weiwei replied: "I was not hired by the state, but by a team of designers from Switzerland. No one from the state here would hire me for such a project."
    Ai Weiwei also accused some world artists, including American director Steven Spielberg, of "violating" their shared responsibility to the world as artists by participating in the preparation of the Games. "All the damned directors of the world are participating (in the preparations). It’s disgusting," added Ai Weiwei.
    Steven Spielberg announced last year that he had been hired for consultations regarding the welcoming and closing ceremonies of the Games. According to the media, Spielberg faced sharp criticism both domestically and internationally for his move. In this context, the director of Jurassic Park and Schindler's List recently announced that if China continues to block international reinforcements for Sudan's Darfur in the UN Security Council, he will renounce his participation in the preparations for the Games. According to The Guardian, it is reported that just four days after Spielberg's statement, an agreement regarding Darfur was indeed reached.