A leading Myanmar swimmer has called for an international boycott of his country's Olympic committee, branding it a "puppet" of the Southeast Asian nation's military rulers.
Australia-based Win Htet Oo said he had given up his dream of swimming at the Tokyo Olympics in protest at the junta which seized power in Myanmar on Feb. 1 and has killed hundreds in a crackdown on dissent.
"I decided to reject any participation to the Tokyo Olympic Games under the auspices of the Myanmar Olympic Committee because I believe the Myanmar Olympic Committee is a puppet Olympic committee of the military regime in Myanmar which has been accused of genocide," Win Htet Oo told Reuters in Melbourne on Monday.