Rights groups slam decision to give Beijing Winter Games

BEIJING (Reuters) - Human rights activists on Friday criticized the decision to award Beijing the 2022 Winter Olympics, saying the International Olympic Committee had sent the wrong message at a time of growing government pressure on activists and civil society.

Campaigners say human rights have deteriorated markedly in China since Beijing held the 2008 Summer Games. The last two years under President Xi Jinping's administration have been marked by a sweeping crackdown on dissidents, activists and human rights lawyers.