(dpa) - Four in ten Norwegians back a possible boycott of the the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, according to a survey published on Friday.
While 39 per cent said they backed a boycott, 31 per cent said they opposed such a move while the remaining 29 per cent were undecided, the survey commissioned by the Aftenposten newspaper said.
Around 1,000 people were surveyed April 7-9.
One in five of those polled, or 22 per cent, said Norway should boycott the entire games while 58 per cent said a boycott was a bad idea, the poll suggested.
Tove Paule, the head of the Norwegian Olympic Committee, said she was "slightly disappointed" over the result, Aftenposten said.
Paule added that she understood that the recent protests in connection with the Olympic torch rally in London, Paris and San Francisco may have swayed critics to back a boycott.
During the past week Paule has been in Beijing for a session of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).
Recently, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg apparently ruled out a boycott while other members of his cabinet and leading politicians said Oslo should consider the option to underline concerns for events in Tibet.