On December 8, the United Kingdom and Australia joined the United States in saying they would not send government officials to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games in protest against China’s alleged human rights abuses particularly of the Uyghurs in the Xinjian region. Soon after, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced that his country would not send any government officials to the Winter Olympics for the same reason. Lithuania is also part of this caucus, but it is not clear at whose behest.
Most countries are still trying to make sense of this move, seeing no justification for it apart from its nuisance value. But the U.S. and its allies could not lose this opportunity to escalate their hate campaign against China. By sending their government representatives to the Beijing Olympics, these countries could be feeling that it is an endorsement of a country that they have worked so hard to besmirch and undermine at every move.
China’s rebuke against the unscrupulous four-some was swift and apt, terming it for what it is – a “farce”. On December 9, during the daily briefing, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that it “doesn’t matter if their officials come or not, they will see the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics.”
Said Wang: “Sports has nothing to do with politics. It is they who have written, directed and performed this farce.” Indeed, China has a lot of work to do than waste time and effort fighting shadows. With thousands of athletes and guests expected in the forthcoming games to be held in February 2022, there is absolutely no time left for sideshows. Luckily, the absconders have not disallowed their athletes from attending the games.
Make no mistake; the diplomatic boycott is a well-choreographed move whose center is the so-called Aukus tripartite, a trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK and the U.S. announced on 15 September 2021 for the Indo-Pacific region. These three countries betrayed France in a nuclear submarine deal that the latter had negotiated elaborately with Australia. The latter gave the job to the U.S. without as much showing some courtesy to France. It was quite a shocker.
Interestingly, maybe predictable, France has distanced itself from the diplomatic boycott shenanigans. In a press conference on December 9, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would rather work with the IOC on the protection of athletes around the world than engage in “insignificant” boycotts. “We must not politicise (the Olympics). As with all things on the international stage, I prefer to do things that have a useful effect.”
Following the U.S. action, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) responded that it respected the country’s decision to diplomatically boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. “We always ask for as much respect as possible and least possible interference from the political world. We have to be reciprocal. We respect the political decisions taken by political bodies,” said Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, the IOC’s coordination commission chief for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Indeed, the IOC need not be drawn to turf wars by countries or parties hell-bent on disrupting the success and camaraderie of the Beijing Olympics for their selfish interests, or simply out of envy or hate. This is not 1980 when the U.S. instigated a 65-nation boycott of the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous year. Still, the games did go ahead with 80 countries in attendance, which should have taught the U.S. a few lessons in humility.
By politicizing the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. has lost its self-appointed moral high ground to offer much-needed leadership at this critical time when the world is grappling with the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. This case of poor judgment reflects how the country is taking matters in recent years, lashing out at perceived foes without thinking about the ramifications of such recklessness. It is also the reason it is one of the biggest victims of the raging pandemic.
