admin For the upcoming 2022 Olympics, it has already been decided that it’ll be held in China’s capital, Beijing. But not everyone was pleased with the news, particularly, the USA which refuses to send its official candidates to Beijing.
The USA claims that the reason for their refusal was because of China’s ‘human rights’ and how unjust the system is causing a diplomatic boycott from attending the Winter Olympics in 2022.
This refusal was sent several months ago but only shed light today since the White House has now released a statement of agreement, saying that the USA will not send any of their official candidates to the Winter Olympics in 2022 held in Beijing, China. This is because the country has some objections to China’s laws and practices on human rights and aren’t willing to put their athletes at risk.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, already stated that he was considering a diplomatic boycott based on China’s human rights record. Adding in to Biden’s address is Washington’s statement that says there are genocides against a minority of Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang, China, which makes their decision to refuse to send their athletes even stronger.
‘The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,’ said Jen Psaki, the White Homes press secretary during a daily press briefing.
‘US diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can’t do that,’ said Jen Psaki in regards to China’s People’s Republic act.
A request for comment from China’s embassy in Washington was not promptly returned. Jen Psaki said that the diplomatic boycott, which was supported by some members of the US Congress for months, will have no impact on American athletes’ attendance. ‘The athletes on Team USA have our full support. We will be behind them 100 per cent as we cheer them on from home.’ said the US government.
China promises to take countermeasures
Zhao Lijian, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, told a press conference yesterday in Beijing that people pushing for a boycott are ‘grandstanding’ and therefore should stop.
‘If the US insists in wilfully clinging to its course, China will take resolute countermeasures,’ said Zhao Lijian. Beijing claims to reject the politicization of sports, yet it has already penalized American sports leagues, notably the NBA, for transgressing its political red lines. For the next upcoming Olympics in 2028, it is said to be held in the United States in Los Angeles which cultivates questions on how China might respond.