SINGAPORE said on Tuesday it opposed calls from some quarters to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games.

In response to media queries on the calls for a boycott, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore is 'a firm believer in the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect.'

'The Games will provide a golden opportunity for athletes from all over the world to compete on a friendly basis, interact with each other, and carry out fruitful dialogue and build lasting relationships,' he said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

'I believe it is vital to keep sporting competitions and politics separate. We must not let politics obstruct the celebration of sports and all that it stands for.'

In the wake of China's crackdown on the violent protests in Tibet, which have spilled over into nearby Chinese provinces in the past week, some quarters have called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics in August.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said in Trinidad on Tuesday that 'there have been absolutely no calls for a boycott, neither emanating from governments,'

European nations and Olympic committees have said they opposed a boycott of the Beijing Games over China's handling of the unrest in Tibet. And most everyone else who spoke out, from Russia to the United States to Australia, echoed that approach.

From its Colorado headquarters, the US Olympic Committee reiterated its stance that an American boycott is not an option.

'Put together a ranking of the worst ideas ever conceived and 'Olympic boycott' would be at the top of that list,' USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said.

'Other than unnecessarily and unfairly punishing athletes, Olympic boycotts accomplish absolutely nothing.'

Russia warned against turning the Beijing Olympics into a political game.

'We would like to underscore that efforts to politicise the holding of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in China are unacceptable,' the government said.