The last time I checked, American diplomats and politicians don’t participate in Biathlon, Curling, Skeleton, Nordic Combined or Figure Skating, so the fact they might not be in Beijing, China during the Winter Olympics in February shouldn’t affect the medal count for the U.S. Olympic team.
On Monday, Joe Biden’s administration announced that no US government officials will be allowed to attend the 2022 Olympics. If they decided to go, they probably can’t expense the trip.
Biden watchers believe he’s hoping the move will send a message to China on this global stage but not prevent US athletes from competing.
There have been calls by numerous lawmakers, celebrities, and human rights officials for the US to do something to get China’s attention that the world is aware of the abuses going on in that country.
No one is expecting a full boycott, which means the first and only time that happened to US athletes was in 1980.
China seems prepared for any move the US might make and has already said they would take “resolute countermeasures” against Joe Biden’s administration if this boycott goes down.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the boycott would be “a stain on the spirit of the Olympic charter and a sensationalist and politically manipulative move by the US
There’s a long list of organizations that have called out the Chinese for their human rights violations. Roughly 180 different groups have said something must be done to challenge China and hold them accountable.
The Winter Games start on February 4.
Add comment