- By Raina Lath
On February 4th, China will be hosting the much anticipated 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing, amidst the coronavirus pandemic. However many nations have ensued a diplomatic boycott to protest the host country's controversial human rights violations.
The incentive to boycott is nothing new, groups have been advocating such protests since talks of hosting the Olympics came to light earlier this year and the traction for such boycott only seems to be increasing. The diplomatic boycott was kickstarted by the US, citing the country's human rights violations as the reason. Other nations, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and even Canada, have followed suit as a result. But are these nations so saintly to care about human rights, or is it something political?
The origins of this domino effect
The US government had stated on December 6th that it would not send US government officials to the Beijing Games in protest of China’s abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and anti-democratic repression in Hong Kong. Participating in the Beijing Olympics, according to a coalition of over 200 human rights organisations, would be "an endorsement of the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian rule" and would "turn a blind eye to these abuses." Although the organizing International Olympic Committee (IOC), has attempted to defuse the situation by highlighting its "neutrality", it seems hard to ignore the hidden political motives of those that have protested.
What is the purpose of boycotting the Beijing Olympics?
The boycott of the Beijing Olympics is not a new tactic. The history of boycotts dates back to 1956 and many boycotts of the Olympics have happened since. A recent example is three years ago with the diplomatic boycotts of the Russian football World Cup after the Salisbury Novichok poisoning.
For a long time, the two political superpowers have been in a rivalry. An example of this is the tariffs both countries have imposed in terms of trade. Seeing this, it is no surprise that the US is strongly against China and wants the purpose of this diplomatic boycott is to humiliate and address the situation in China. The US on the other hand will still be in full support of letting athletes compete.
Usually, countries hosting Olympic games have both sports and politics mixed into their motives for staging events. If countries were to send politicians to the game, it would be inferred as an approval of the government of President Xi Jinping.
However, many analysts believe that a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics would be ineffective and would make gaining compromises from China even more difficult. The US and other countries argue that the 2022 games might be used instead to raise attention to China's human rights violations by concerned nations and media outlets.
What is China saying about this?
China has reacted angrily and accused the US of “political posturing and manipulation.” Along with that, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that China had not extended invitations to the US, Canada or the UK and that it "doesn't matter if their officials come or not, as they will see the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics." He continued to say that, “sports has nothing to do with politics. It is they who have written, directed and performed this farce."
On top of that, in Beijing, the foreign ministry said the Americans were interfering “out of ideological prejudice and based on lies and rumors.” China also denied all allegations regarding human rights violations with the Uyghur educational camps and in any other forms.
What other countries may boycott the olympics?
The European Parliament has taken solid ethical positions and overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution calling on diplomatic authorities to boycott the Winter Olympics. However, because of the extensive trade ties with Beijing, it is unlikely that some other European nations will boycott the Olympics. Countries like Italy and France have stated it would not join the American boycott due to extensive trade ties with China.
At the end of the day, attendance in the Olympic Games in any form is a decision of individual member states. Whether the decision relies on countries being fearful of Chinese retaliation or hurting trade, it is inevitable that worldwide political relations will be jeopardised.
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