A group of local Chinese residents wants to hold a public gathering to show support for their country's Olympics, which has drawn worldwide protests as the August Games approach.

"The Atlanta people know how hard, how much effort everyone has to contribute to such a big, big game," said Jing Song, 33, a jewelry salesman who sparked interest in a gathering on the Internet.

"We don't want the politics to get involved in Olympic games," he said. "We want America to choose another view, from the Chinese people's side."

The group plans to gather or walk near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. The event might be delayed until May, one organizer said.

It's a symbolic location. The group applied for a special events permit with the city and must first iron out its paperwork with city officials.

Chinese in other cities plan to hold Olympic-support rallies on April 26, organizers said.

China's first Olympics has been marred by international protests along the Olympic torch route over the Chinese government's human rights record, its treatment of Tibet, its crackdown on political dissidents, and its warm relations with Sudan.

Yuwei Gu, 22, a law student at Emory University, says China deserves a break. "This is a huge event for us. We really want this to go on smoothly," Gu said.

Jack Bai, property manager of the China Town mall in Chamblee supports the rally.

He's never been to Tibet, and didn't really want to talk about the complaints of Tibetans. "There will be fewer regional conflicts with a united China," he said.

"I don't hate Tibetans and I hope they don't hate me," Bai said.

In any case, they shouldn't use the Olympics to express their views, he said.

Tsepak Rigzin, a translator and scholar at the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Tucker, is Tibetan. He said the Olympics is one of the ways Tibetans can attract the attention of world leaders to the oppression in Tibet. "We are not anti-Chinese," Rigzin said. "We are against the Communist government's way of dealing with the Tibetans. We are just fighting for our own rights as a distinct people," he said.

Jing Song acknowledges that Chinese and Tibetans need to "work out a solution." But he's disappointed his country is not shining in its moment of glory. "Many of our Chinese friends feel the same thing. They feel like they're getting lost."