Sydney: Monarchists on Saturday demanded that the official souvenir programme of the Sydney Olympic Games be withdrawn because an article in it says Australia should be a republic, local media reported.
In the article, expatriate art critic and author Robert Hughes berates fellow Australians for rejecting the chance, offered in a referendum last year, to ditch Britain's Queen Elizabeth as head of state. The monarchists were offended.
''The Olympics is Australia on show to the rest of the world,'' Australian monarchist leader Kerry Jones told Australian Broadcasting Corp. ''We voted last year on the republic issue, we voted no.''
The radio report said Jones planned to write to International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch demanding the souvenir programme be pulped.
Olympic organisers said they had no involvement in its contents beyond checking the accuracy of information directly related to the Games.
''They have total editorial control,'' said an Olympics spokesman, referring to the programme's US-based publisher, Sports Illustrated.
Opinion polls suggest that many Australians voted to keep the monarchy by default, rejecting last year's referendum offer of a president chosen by Parliament because they wanted a directly elected president.
(c) Reuters Limited. Click here for Restrictions
In the article, expatriate art critic and author Robert Hughes berates fellow Australians for rejecting the chance, offered in a referendum last year, to ditch Britain's Queen Elizabeth as head of state. The monarchists were offended.
''The Olympics is Australia on show to the rest of the world,'' Australian monarchist leader Kerry Jones told Australian Broadcasting Corp. ''We voted last year on the republic issue, we voted no.''
The radio report said Jones planned to write to International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch demanding the souvenir programme be pulped.
Olympic organisers said they had no involvement in its contents beyond checking the accuracy of information directly related to the Games.
''They have total editorial control,'' said an Olympics spokesman, referring to the programme's US-based publisher, Sports Illustrated.
Opinion polls suggest that many Australians voted to keep the monarchy by default, rejecting last year's referendum offer of a president chosen by Parliament because they wanted a directly elected president.
(c) Reuters Limited. Click here for Restrictions
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