The Olympic Games are often an outlet for political tension, and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing are no exception. The United States, along with its allies like the United Kingdom and Australia, are participating in a diplomatic boycott of the games in protest of China’s human rights violations in Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uyghur Region, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and elsewhere. This move has been received as a symbolic gesture. While no diplomats from these countries are attending the games, their athletes are still competing. China has responded by accusing the U.S. of “needlessly politicizing sports.” The PRC itself boycotted the Summer Olympics from 1952 to 1980 over questions of Taiwan’s participation.
The Beijing boycott is not Washington’s first time using the Olympic Games to express political differences. In 1980, the Carter administration announced a full boycott of the Winter Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Like its predecessors, this year’s Olympic boycott has been controversial, with many arguing about the effectiveness of the boycott. While it is a blow to China’s legitimacy, many argue this symbolic move does little to change Beijing’s behavior. China has furthermore silenced internal criticism from its athletes, an example being the tennis star Peng Shuai, and has threatened foreign athletes with legal penalties should they speak out against human rights atrocities. The U.S. diplomatic boycott exposes growing tensions between America and China and indicates how these tensions will manifest themselves on multitude of fronts, from high politics to popular culture.
Questions and Background
- Is a diplomatic boycott a legitimate way to protest human rights atrocities? How is the effectiveness of the boycott to be measured?
- What obligations do American businesses have to criticize human rights abuses committed by China? Should companies, such as Coca-Cola, use Olympic-themed marketing?
- The U.S. did not diplomatically boycott the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, despite human rights violations in Tibet. Why did the U.S. decide to act in 2022?
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Michael Mazza, National Review. February 8, 2022.
Department Press Briefing – December 6, 2021
U.S. Department of State. December 6, 2021.