Opinion: IOC president Thomas Bach isn't fit to lead. When asked about Uyghurs, he takes a hard pass
BEIJING – The awfulness of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach was on display for all to see Thursday evening at the Beijing Olympics.
Asked in his pre-Games news conference for his message to the oppressed Uyghur population of China, victims of genocide by the Chinese government, he mustered not one word of support, or even of interest, in the subject.
“And with regard to…the Uyghur population, there the position of the IOC must be, given the political neutrality, that we're not commenting on political issues,” Bach said before launching into several paragraphs of gobbledygook about the importance of the IOC staying out of politics, which it of course never does.
The IOC has played this game for years, saying it’s neutral when it’s wheeling and dealing behind the scenes with some of the world’s greatest scoundrels to force them to pay up to host the Olympics.
But this moment of IOC pomposity was the most breathtaking yet: The president of the IOC passed on genocide as just another issue on which to sit on the fence.
Bach could have faked it, saying something like, “We care about all people…we have concern for the oppressed…we will look into it.”
But no, he couldn’t even do that. He didn’t even try. He’s so far in the bag for China’s terrible, repressive government, his business partner over the next 17 days, that he forgot how to be human.
How history will judge a man like this.
Were Bach the CEO of a company, or the president of a university, he would have been fired before midnight, if not sooner. Heck, he might not have gotten off the dais before getting the hook.
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But because he is president of the world’s most self-important, out-of-touch collection of cronies who double as sports officials, the back slaps from his fellow lords of the rings will be as hearty as ever and the cheers from the Chinese sycophants at Friday’s opening ceremony will be just as robust.
This heartless man is going nowhere unless one of his real bosses, the 13 Olympic sponsors, decided to pipe up. P&G, that’s you. And Visa and Coke, Airbnb and Bridgestone. Anyone home? Anyone want to support the victims of genocide? Anyone want to explain to your children and grandchildren why it’s OK for a person who actually holds leverage over Chinese officials to pass when asked a question that should have this simple answer: “I am concerned about China’s Uyghur Muslims.”
So far, leaders of those companies have been spending too much time hiding under their desks to say a cross word about the IOC when it comes to China’s reprehensible human rights abuses. That’s by design. They want in on the business possibilities of a market of 1.4 billion consumers. This unpleasantness with the Uyghurs only complicates their corporate lives.
When the subject of three-time Chinese Olympian Peng Shuai came up, Bach exhibited his astonishing ability to act as if he’s totally clueless about all kinds of world issues. Asked why he has not said one word in three months about Peng's chilling sexual assault allegation against a former top Chinese official while the Women’s Tennis Association has given a master class in responsible sports leadership, Bach finally relented and uttered several full sentences on the topic.
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“If she wants to have an inquiry, of course we would also support her in this, but it must be her decision,” he said. “It’s her life. It’s her allegations. We will have a personal meeting (during the Olympics in Beijing). We will continue this conversation and then we will know better about her physical integrity and about her mental state when we can finally meet in person.”
Bach doesn’t get it. It’s not her decision. It’s his. He’s the one with the power. He, not Peng, is the person who could turn up the heat on China. It’s his job, his responsibility, as IOC president to do just that.
But why go to bat for Peng or the Uyghurs when you can sit back, relax, do nothing and be loved in China? Bach has made his choice. What a legacy.