KEY POINTS:
Olympic swimmer Dean Kent says New Zealand should worry about its own backyard rather than any politics at this year's Beijing Olympics.
Kent, aiming to qualify for his third Olympics, responded to allegations from Green MP Keith Locke that the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) was muzzling its athletes.
Mr Locke said Olympic officials "should not be imitating the Chinese regime" by silencing Kiwi athletes.
But Kent said most countries had their own baggage to sort through before using the Olympics as a political stage.
"There are a hundred countries with different problems within them. Zimbabwe has terrible racism and we've got people in our own country bashing each other with baseball bats.
"So I think we need to get a little perspective and fix our own problems before trying to get athletes in the middle of things to solve the world's problems."
The 28-year-old said he was annoyed by expectations in some quarters that athletes adopt political stances at the Olympics.
"I've had so many friends who trained all their lives to make it to the Olympics and miss out, and then for people to expect us to be worrying about anything other than enjoying the experience peeves me a bit.
"If they want to protest about it, fine - they can come over and do it. But it seems like people are trying to use athletes and the Olympics as a stage to politicise problems people have in their own countries."
NZOC communications adviser Ashley Abbott said the organisation did not set out to restrict opinions.
"This is about protecting our athletes, the interests of the NZOC and the International Olympic Committee.
"If they [the athletes] make a considered and reasoned response to questions of a political nature, then that's fine."
She said the policy was agreed to by the Athletes Commission and had been in place for the past eight years.
But Olympic silver medallist Dick Quax said the only interests being protected in this instance were the Chinese Government's.
"Anyone who thinks otherwise is having wool pulled over their eyes."
Mr Quax, silver medallist in the 5000 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, said the NZOC could adopt a "less draconian" approach.
He and teammates John Walker and Rod Dixon spoke out against the All Blacks touring apartheid-driven South Africa in 1976.
"The idea you can put blanket coverage on an athlete on speaking their mind is a bit naive," said Mr Quax, "and really they should be watering it down a bit."
