Tibetan exiles and their supporters staged a "Colonial Olympic Games" in New Delhi to coincide with the opening of the Beijing Olympics Friday as thousands participated in anti-China demonstrations in India, braving incessant rains, reported dpa.
The Youth Liberation Front of Tibet, protesting Chinese rule in Tibet, organized the daylong parallel Olympics in a New Delhi suburb.
At least 39 athletes from Tibet, East Turkestan, Inner Mongolia and Manchuria participated in the athletic events, said Narendra Choudhary, president of the group, which is comprised of Tibetans and Indian supporters.
"We protest communist China's imperialist policy, which has occupied Tibet and these regions, and is now eyeing Indian territory," Choudhary said.
"As China readies itself for monumental grandeur, Tibetans and their supporters condemn Beijing's atrocious human rights records and crackdown of Tibet protests," Choudhary added.
Heavy monsoon rains in India's capital since Friday morning did not deter another large-scale demonstration in the central Jantar Mantar area.
An estimated 3,500 Tibetans gathered at Jantar Mantar from other parts of India and shouted slogans against China and the Beijing Olympics.
Nearly 90 Tibetan activists and monks participating in chanting slogans, sit-ins and hunger strikes have been detained by Delhi police over the past week, Tibet campaigner Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok said.
The protests are to continue until August 24, when the games end, he added.
Police deployed heavy security around the Chinese embassy in Delhi to ward off protests by Tibetans, who stormed the mission in March, leading to a diplomatic row between the two countries.
About 2,000 Tibetans marched in the northern town of Dharamsala where their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his government-in- exile are based.
Many covered their mouths with black bands to signify the lack of freedom and human rights for Tibetans in Tibet.
They were also due to hold a candlelight vigil to coincide with the opening of the Olympics.
"We urge freedom-loving citizens of the world to take a stand for Tibet and pressure the Chinese government to release thousands of political prisoners detained since the Tibetan uprising in March," Tenzin Choeying, head of Students for Free Tibet, said by telephone, referring to demonstrations that market the 49th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Riots broke out in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, and Chinese authorities cracked down on the protests.
India is home to more than 100,000 Tibetan refugees, estimated to be the largest concentration of Tibetans outside Tibet.
Tibetan groups in India have been holding protests in the run-up to the Olympics despite the Dalai Lama's wishes and prayers for the success of the games.