Valentino Rossi, five-time MotoGP world champion, says 'All the world is with Tibet'

Italy's Valentino Rossi, speaking ahead of the Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril, said the riders would meet to decide if they should protest at the following Grand Prix in Shanghai on May 4.
 
"All the world is with Tibet," Rossi, a five-time world champion, said.

"But we need to be careful, or else they will arrest all of us."

China's treatment of political protesters in Tibet has created headlines across the world with the Olympic torch relay being hit by demonstrations in London, Paris and San Francisco over the past week.

Some politicians have also spoken of boycotting the opening ceremony of August's Beijing Olympics.

"I am 100 per cent behind Tibet," the Italian said.

"We know that to demonstrate against the Chinese regime is dangerous but we will see if we can do something."

Norwegian boycott?

Meanwhile, nearly four in ten Norwegians are in favour of their political leaders boycotting the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, according to a poll published Friday in the daily Aftenposten.

Thirty-nine per cent of Norwegians favour such a boycott, while 31 per cent oppose the idea and 29 per cent are undecided, according to the survey by the Respons Institute that questioned 1,002 people between April 7 and 9, after chaotic protests along the Olympic torch's route.

Only 22 per cent of Norwegians favour a boycott of the entire Games, with 58 per cent against and 20 per cent undecided.

Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian Prime Minister, has said he opposes any form of boycott.

The Scandinavian country is expected to be represented by King Harald and Queen Sonja, as well as Trond Giske, sports minister, at the August 8 opening ceremony.

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