South Africa has denied the Dalai Lama a visa to attend a peace conference linked to the 2010 Football World Cup, which the country is hosting.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of the meeting in protest and branded the decision "disgraceful".
A government spokesman has denied suggestions that the ban was a result of Chinese pressure.
He said he did not want anything to distract from South Africa's hosting of the World Cup.
'Solidarity'
The Johannesburg conference is intended to discuss football's role in fighting racism and xenophobia.
The Tibetan spiritual leader was due to attend the meeting, along with fellow Nobel laureates, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Tutu and FW de Klerk later this week.
Mr de Klerk has also withdrawn from the event, while Mr Mandela's position is not clear.
"It is disappointing that South Africa, which has received so much solidarity from the world, doesn't want to give that solidarity to others," Nobel Institute Director Geir Lundestad told the Associated Press news agency in Oslo, referring to the decades-long fight against apartheid.
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