The possibility of a boycott arose in other countries, such as Canada and Australia. Dozens of human rights organizations, many of them representing groups like Tibetans, have also called for a boycott. But institutions that deal with Olympic Games issues, such as the United States’ Olympic and Paralympic Committee, have shown no interest.
China responded to the boycott calls with scorn and threats, while insisting that it is not mistreating Uighurs or other groups highlighted by human rights activists. State-supported media is also not backing down. “If any country is encouraged by extremist forces to take concrete action to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, China will definitely retaliate ferociously. China certainly has the resources and the means to do this, ”argued an editorial in the Global Times.
Lessons not learned
In 1980, when the Summer Games were hosted in Moscow, Carter insisted on a boycott in response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. About 65 countries joined the boycott, while 80 went ahead and participated.
Allies from the USA, Germany, Canada and Israel boycotted the event, but other allies, such as Britain and Australia, sent athletes to compete. Four years later, the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Today, many consider the 1980 boycott unsuccessful. After all, almost another decade passed before the Soviet Union left Afghanistan. And many hopeful American athletes have lost their chance to achieve Olympic glory despite years of training.
Some former Trump administration officials prefer to participate in the 2022 Games as a platform to raise concerns, perhaps in a creative way. Biden could, for example, include Uighur Americans as part of the official United States delegation. American athletes can also be encouraged to speak out against China’s oppressive policies.
“Staying in the Olympics can actually be a powerful vehicle for illuminating their abuses, if we feel like it,” said Alex Gray, an official on Trump’s National Security Council and a China expert now on the American Foreign Policy Council. POLITICAL. “A boycott can backfire, but using the Games to highlight Xinjiang, Tibet, Christians and more will be more effective, since the whole world is watching.”