Yes. The IOC is of course very hypocritical about this in claiming that the Olympics are not about politics, when clearly they have everything to do with politics. China wanted these games for political reasons, to create a more positive image of itself.
The Olympic Games themselves are inherently 'political'. It is all about international peace and cooperation by using sports to transcend other issues. What the IOC is saying is that the Olympic message is undermined if the sporting aspect is unable to transcend other issues, such as Tibet.
