After New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Britain have joined a US political boycott that announced earlier this week that none of its diplomats would travel to Beijing for next year’s Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
According to a report by the Olympics website insidethegames.biz, the three countries decided to do so for similar reasons to the Americans. The United States has declared a political boycott of “crimes against genocide, human rights and other human rights violations” in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur province.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson added that he did not support athletes boycotting the Games.
The Canadian Olympic Committee said in a statement that it is concerned about China’s problems and understands that the Olympic Games will always be given a prominent role in raising awareness in the world. The organization also stressed that boycotting an athlete, on the other hand, would only harm the competitors and not affect substantive changes.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also confirmed the Australian athletes’ kick-off, and the country’s Olympic organization welcomed the announcement.
Australia is a great sporting country, and sports and other political issues must be chosen separately. These are problems between two governments
He said.
New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, Grant Robertson, said his country had already told China in October that no government officials would travel to the Pentathlon Games in February or the Paralympic Games in March for political reasons.
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has previously made clear on the issue that his organization is not a “super global government” and that the Olympics and athlete participation “go beyond politics”. Bach stressed that the IOC continues to take a “politically neutral” stance and will respect the decisions of governments.
(MTI)
(Cover image: Promotion of the Winter Olympics on a train from Beijing. Photo: Andrea Verdelli / Getty Images Hungary)
