Civic Register
| 4.7.21
Should the U.S. Boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics?
Do you support or oppose a boycott by the U.S. of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics?
UPDATE 4/7/21
- At a press briefing on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said of potential U.S. efforts to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, "We have not discussed and are not discussing any joint boycott with allies and partners."
What’s the story?
- The State Dept. signaled on Tuesday that it is considering a joint boycott with U.S. allies and partners of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over the People’s Republic of China (PRC) human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, efforts to undermine democracy in Hong Kong, and belligerence toward Taiwan and other neighboring nations. The Beijing Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin on February 4, 2022.
- State Dept. Spokesman Ned Price said at a press conference that, “It is something that we certainly wish to discuss,” and that “a coordinated approach will not only be in our interest but also in the interest of our allies and partners. Price later tweeted the following statement:
“As I said, we don’t have any announcement regarding the Beijing Olympics. 2022 remains a ways off, but we will continue to consult with allies and partners to define our common concerns and establish our shared approach to the PRC.”
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said, “China uses coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undercut democracy in Taiwan, abuse human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and assert maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law.”
- Some congressional Republicans have signed onto several non-binding resolutions calling for the U.S. to boycott the Beijing Olympics, which would provide the Biden administration with a degree of bipartisan support if it proceeds with a boycott.
- The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has expressed opposition to a boycott, with USOPC President Susanne Lyons saying the following at a press conference:
“While we would never want to minimize what is happening from a human rights perspective in China, we do not support an athlete boycott... We believe such boycotts have not been effective in the past, particularly in 1980. Those boycotts only hurt athletes who have trained their entire lives for this opportunity to represent their county.”
What happened in past Olympic boycotts?
- The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing aren’t the first time an Olympic boycott has been debated by U.S. politicians and the Olympic community, although there has only been one time that the U.S. followed through with a boycott.
- Moscow was slated to host the 1980 Summer Olympics just months after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. President Jimmy Carter threatened to boycott the Summer Olympics unless the Soviet Union withdrew, which it did not do.
- While detractors argued the boycott wouldn’t result in the USSR withdrawing, the U.S. went ahead with the boycott and was joined by over 60 other countries. While the U.S., Japan, and West Germany engaged in a full boycott of the Moscow Olympics, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia allowed athletes to decide individually whether they would compete.
- Many of the athletes from nations that boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics competed at the “Liberty Bell Classic” which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and financed by $10 million from Congress.
- In 1984, Los Angeles was the site of the Summer Olympics and the Soviet Union boycotted the games in retaliation, instead hosting the “Friendship Games” with Soviet athletes joined by competitors from North Korea and six other Eastern Bloc communist satellite nations.
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Olympic Symbol: Mike_fleming via Flickr / Creative Commons | Uyghur Concentration Camp: Radio Free Asia / Fair Use)
The Latest
-
The Long Arc: Taking Action in Times of Change“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” Martin Luther King Jr. Today in read more... Advocacy -
Thousands Displaced as Climate Change Fuels Wildfire Catastrophe in Los AngelesIt's been a week of unprecedented destruction in Los Angeles. So far the Palisades, Eaton and other fires have burned 35,000 read more... Environment -
Puberty, Privacy, and PolicyOn December 11, the Montana Supreme Court temporarily blocked SB99 , a law that sought to ban gender-affirming care for read more... LGBTQIA+ -
Women Are Shaping This Election — Why Is the Media Missing It?As we reflect on the media coverage of this election season, it’s clear that mainstream outlets have zeroed in on the usual read more... Elections
Climate & Consumption
Health & Hunger
Politics & Policy
Safety & Security
We should also sanction China for its acts of genocide
What is more important, human rights or sports?
I oppose politics being interjected into sports. I have chosen to no longer be a participant or spectator of professional sports for this very reason. This does not mean I support the humanitarian conduct of the CCP.
Yes but they won't. But at the same time, the hypocrisy isn't lost. We are ina country where a police can and has legally killed unarmed black men with no consequence. We also continue to do dealing with Saudi Arabia. Qatar is literally killing people to build the new stadium for the World Cup. Georgia new restrictive voting rights. New transphobic laws that US state are in acting. Should we, yes. Will we, no. But if we do, we are hypocrite as well
Any country that is awarded the privileges of hosting the Olympics needs to be honoring what the majority of the world's countries agree to have basic human rights observed by them. China is killing their own citizen just because they are Muslims. China is killing dissidents in Hong Kong and taking Christians to concentration camps to get them to deny their faith. Why should American's go to China and give them millions of dollars. Personally, I wouldn't go to China as I have NO desire to be tracked by the Chinese government!
Why should we allow politics interfere with the Olympic games. We have to consider the athletes and how hard they worked to get there. Now we want to cancel their chances at gold metals. NO.
Yes
We need too, not just because of the Chinese but the so called Americans that kneel
Of course not
Our country is also responsible for human rights abuses. We are no better than they are. If the purpose is to drop everything and focus on physical competitions, lets go!
Opposing is being childish. It's like telling someone ' if you don't share your candy I will not be your friend you. AND supporting is like saying since I am your friend it's alright to kill and abuse people.
Yes China is the cause of this virus. Since E January 20th at noontime to present here are the COVID-19 figures. Cases 6,489,962 new cases yesterday 83,678. Deaths 290,746 new deaths yesterday 1,060. All of these in just 79 days. As Comrade dear leader Beijing Biden use to say pointing in the camera there are 290,746 families sitting at the dining room table looking at that empty chair. IMPEACH FORTY SIX
I support the boycott. We do not conspire with terrorists and China is that. The genocide over there is heinous and we should not have the Olympics there.
I am in support of boycotting the Beijing Olympics as a means of protesting China’s role in the destruction of our oceans. Nobody talks about this. Yes, their record on human rights is atrocious. But their complete annihilation of the open seas with their monstrous fleet of fishing vessels and drag nets can no longer be ignored. Not only are the Chinese fleets decimating countless species to the brink of extinction they are destroying the ecosystem required for the c02 absorption required if we are to fucking stay alive.
Seems fair
If American athletes don’t show up, who’s gonna kick chinas butt
The U.S. should boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, and so should all democratic countries. Yes, China is a power to be careful with, however, their choice to abuse and kill Muslim people is wrong! By having the Olympics in Beijing would also add a lot of money to China's economy. Our Corporations already get a lot of things from China, instead of making these things in the U.S.. Much of our clothing is made in China and other countries, because they can pay less for labor that way and put more profit in their own pockets, and then not pay taxes due to the Republican Tax plan passed under Trump's administration. As long as China is against Hong Kong and Muslims, we should not be a part of the Olympics held there.
China is terrible on human rights; of course they don’t have a monopoly do they Congress?
The Olympics are supposed to be games that bring the works together. As such, they are supposed to be free of political influences. There are other ways - including sanctions and fines - to hold China accountable for its behavior. Unfortunately, the world has tolerated China’s violations of international law and trade treaties for decades. The world also probably emboldened China’s behavior in Taiwan and Hong Kong when no one did anything when Putin invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula which was Ukranian territory. The inaction is still evident as pro-Russian militants, probably funded by Russia, are massing and fighting on another Ukranian border.
China is putting their heavy hands on so many fronts. They should not be hosting the Olympics period. Part of the Olympic movement is to promote world cooperation, peace and understanding.