Argentina distances itself from Falklands TV ad

Zeenews Sports Bureau

A state-sponsored television advertisement shot on the disputed Falkland Islands has triggered a diplomatic dispute between Britain and Argentina before the London Olympics. However, The Argentine National Olympic Committee has distanced itself from the controversial advertisement. "The Argentine National Olympic Committee is fully committed to the Olympic charter and the best practices of the Olympic movement," the NOC chief, Gerardo Werthein, said in a statement on Tuesday. "We strongly believe the Olympic Games are not a platform for politics and we have communicated this position to the International Olympic Committee." The 90-second advertisement shows Argentinian hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg training in the Falklands. He runs past several symbolic British landmarks and exercises on the steps of a war memorial to British soldiers. Britain termed it as "tasteless and insulting”, the Guardian reported.