Winter Olympics: diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games is pointless, says Coe

"Boycotts, on balance, are historically illiterate and intellectually dishonest. A political boycott is, frankly, meaningless," Coe told British media on Thursday. "That's not to be an apologist for countries that do not conform to the basic standards around human rights ... I'm not insouciant or cavalier about human rights. I take them very seriously. Winter Olympics: Diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games is 'meaningless', says Coe "I don't think over the long haul (boycotts) actually achieve a great deal. There are always unintended consequences. And at the end of the day, the people that most suffer in all that are the…