Opinion: Diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics is right way for US to protest abuses
Finally, somebody has the guts to stand up to China and its propaganda fest.
By announcing a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics on Monday, the United States is casting an inescapable shadow over what President Xi Jinping planned as a celebration of China’s wealth, power and status as a global heavyweight.
No matter how spectacular the opening ceremony is, how flawlessly the Games are staged or how many medals the host country wins, there will be a, “Yes, but …” attached to everything. The U.S. repudiation of China’s long litany of human rights abuses will remain front and center for the duration of the Games, and there’s not a damn thing Xi, Beijing organizers or even the International Olympic Committee can do about it.
“We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in announcing the diplomatic boycott, citing the “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xianjing and other human rights abuses.”
“U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these Games as business as usual in the face of the (Chinese government)’s egregious human rights abuse and atrocities in Xianjing, and we simply can’t do that,” Psaki added. “As the president has told President Xi, standing up for human rights is in the DNA of Americans. We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights, and we feel strongly in our position.”
If only the IOC did, too.
President Thomas Bach defends the IOC’s spinelessness by saying the organization isn’t “political.” Yet it is taking a side with its contrived neutrality.
By not calling China out for its abuses of the minority Uyghur population in Tianjing, the IOC is giving its tacit approval to genocide. By not holding China accountable for the promises it made to improve human rights when it hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008, the IOC has enabled even worse actions.
By not standing up for basic human decency, by being the willing toady of first Vladimir Putin and now Xi, the IOC is showing just how unscrupulous it is. Its high-minded claim of using sports to achieve a better, more peaceful world is nothing more than a cover for the IOC’s greed and cowardice.
The IOC is so desperate to maintain the illusion of its righteousness – and the lavish, five-star parties necessary to exhibit it, of course – it’s even been willing to sell out one of its own.
For weeks now, the WTA and others around the globe have called for Chinese officials to make tennis player Peng Shuai available, to show proof she is not being punished for her sexual abuse allegations against a former high-ranking government official. Considering Peng is a three-time Olympian, you would think the IOC would be passionate in its advocacy for her.
And you would be wrong.
Instead, the IOC has whitewashed China’s efforts to erase her. It has claimed it is engaging in “quiet diplomacy,” but its nonchalant silence amidst worldwide outrage and concern speaks volumes.
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With the IOC a willing accomplice to China’s many misdeeds, some have called for an athlete boycott. But that isn’t the answer.
Athletes have spent most of their lives training for an Olympics and, for many, they will only get one shot. It is not fair to expect them to speak out, or stay home, when people in actual positions of power display no such moral courage.
After its disastrous boycott of the Moscow Games in 1980, the United States has wisely recognized that athletes are the ones most hurt when they are forced to sacrifice their years of sweat and hard work.
But neither could the United States let China hold its Olympic party as if all was fine. Imagine the political mileage China would get from scenes of Vice President Kamala Harris sitting next to Xi while he basked in the extravaganza of the opening ceremony. What a coup for China it would be to have First Lady Jill Biden being photographed at Beijing’s many splendid venues.
A diplomatic boycott is a good compromise. It does not punish the athletes but delivers a sharp rebuke to Xi, China and the IOC. The United States will celebrate its athletes and their accomplishments, but it will not help China spin a fairy tale about its monstrous behaviors or join in the IOC's cowardice.
China wanted these Beijing Olympics to be a reflection of its position in the world. By its absence, the U.S. government ensures it will be an accurate portrayal.
Follow Paste BN Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.