Opinion | Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 was unfairly put on trial
By Augustus K. Yeung
Introduction
The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 has been unfairly put on trial like never before: It has so far escaped from being devastated by the worldwide Covid-19 Pandemic and its Delta variants and now the Omicron coronavirus variant; however, the most unnecessarily called for impediment is the US 'boycott' by politicians, which is both senseless and contrary to the spirit of Olympics.
Recalling the Tokyo Summer Games, its organizing committee had only the pandemic to worry about, and not the politically biased boycott, the task facing its Organizing Committee was comparatively easy. But Beijing's turn is much more difficult as it has to go through a political process cooked up by Biden and his fellow English-speaking boys, notably Boris dubbed a 'clown' by the French President Emmanuel Macron.
Biden's Boycott with the Boys on His Bandwagon
We, the sports enthusiasts, are keen to welcome the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, expecting the Chinese central government to pleasantly surprise us the way it had with the nation's 2008 Beijing Olympics. Few of us had seriously anticipated the call for a boycott from US president Joe Biden, which was keeping us anxious.
On Monday, the White House announced a 'diplomatic boycott', saying that his administration would not be sending a delegation of diplomats to the Games. Australia eagerly echoed that it would loyally follow suit, followed by Britain, and lately Canada.
We, the sports enthusiasts, sighed a deep breath of relief, knowing that a diplomatic but not a full-scaled boycott is on its way, which would not do much damage to both the quality and quantity of the Games.
US 'boycotts' Do Violence to Spirit of Olympics
The Olympics is meant to be an international event for athletes from all parts of the world to meet, compete and supersede the established stars in the various fields of sports, so as to actualize the human spirit of adventurism.
In this direction, over the years many track records have been amazingly broken, extolling the prowess of the human physique. This is another aspect of the spirit of the Olympic Games.
The professed spirit of the Olympic Games is for international athletes to foster camaraderie and friendship through sports competition, and the stage is set not for foul plays but for the development of mutual understanding, respect and admiration unlike any other kinds of competition, including trade competition.
What Does the History of the Games Tell about "boycotts"?
A survey of the past records shows that boycotts by the world's politicians not only do violence to institutional sports and injustice to the participating athletes, the acts of boycotting themselves have been proven to be ineffective.
According to the Post, the last time the US refused to participate in an Olympics was its leading of a 42-country full boycott of the Moscow Summer Games in 1980 to object to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan the previous year, an effort that failed to attain its goal.
"That prompted the retaliatory refusal by the Soviets and 18 other nations to take part in the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games. Further proving the point that such bans do not work, there was not impact when Spain, the Netherlands, and Switzerland did not participate in the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games after the invasion of Hungary by Warsaw Pact troops." ("US 'boycott' contrary to spirit of Olympics." South China Morning Post, Thursday, December 9, 2021.)
The European Union is an Unknown Dimension
Germany's incoming foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock from the Green Party, pledged "dialogue and toughness" in dealing with China, and did not rule out a boycott of Beijing's Winter Olympics.
Baerbock, 40, is set to become Germany's first woman top diplomat once the new cabinet led by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz is sworn in, which is likely to happen next week.
She has vowed to put human rights at the center of German diplomacy – signaling a more assertive stance towards "authoritarian" regimes like China and Russia after the commerce-driven pragmatism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's 16 years in power.
"A values-driven foreign policy is always an interplay of dialogue and toughness," she told the TAZ newspaper in an interview on Wednesday.
"Eloquence silence is not a form of diplomacy in the long run, even if some have seen it that way in recent years."
"Baerbock, who studied international law, singled out China's treatment of the Uygur minority in Xinjiang, the detention of journalist Zhang Zhan and the uncertainty about tennis star Peng Shuai's well-being as areas of concern."
European Union states should speak as one and use the bloc's leverage as a major economic power in their dealing with Beijing, Baerbock said, raising the prospect of import restrictions.
"If there is no longer access for products from regions like Xinjiang, where force labor is common practice, that is a big problem for an exporting country like China," she said. "Of course, it will only work if all 27 members states pull together."
Baerbock indicated that she was not dismissing a boycott of the Winter Olympics.
China rejects the rights accusations and has said that "politicizing sports goes against the Olympic spirit".
Conclusion
Boycotts by politicians of sporting events are putting the spotlight on themselves for the sake of self-interest. They should instead be stepping aside, letting athletes shire. The athletes chosen to represent their nations at the Olympics have put countless hours into training and preparation. Their stage is for "competition, camaraderie, and friendship"; there is no place for political meddling. The editorial of the Post said. (US 'boycott' contrary to the spirit of Olympics." South China Morning Post, Thursday, December 9, 2021.)
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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Opinion | Amid US and China's candid exchange of concerns, President Biden reminded of his legacy
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