The Bush administration has decided to remain neutral on Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympics, despite objections from some members of the Congress, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

The administration hopes that its neutral position will help defuse an issue that China has called an emotional one for its people, the Post reported.

A senior State Department official told the paper that awarding the games to China might even be a positive thing and could give China "a powerful but intangible incentive".

The Post noted that momentum in Congress against Beijing's bid appeared to be fading and Republican leaders might not bring to the floor a House resolution opposing Beijing's bid before the House recesses this week.

Congress will not return from recess until July 9, just four days before the International Olympic Committee meets in Moscow to choose a 2008 site.

A neutral stance by the United States could boost Beijing's chances of hosting the games over its two major rivals: Paris, and Toronto.

In congressional testimony May 3, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States was still deciding whether to adopt a stance on Beijing's bid but made clear he was sensitive to the idea of not mixing politics with sport.

"We decided not to decide," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told the Post.

Members of the US Olympic Committee, Chinese Ambassador Yang Jiechi and some figures close to the administration had urged Congress to avoid politicizing the games.

The decision about who hosts the 2008 Olympics remains with the IOC, an independent body with about 120 members, only four of them Americans.

(People's Daily 06/26/2001)