The United States Issues a Diplomatic Boycott against the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing
U.S.A Olympic Bobsled Team. Source: U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program is licensed under Flikr (CC BY 2.0).
The United States did not send an official U.S. delegation to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. While U.S. Olympic athletes began competing in the Olympics on February 4, government officials did not attend due to the White House diplomatic boycott.
“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given [China’s] ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,” White House Press Secratary Jen Psaki said in a Decemeber 6 press conference.
According to a poll done by the Pew Research Center, 46% of Americans approve of the U.S. diplomatic boycott of the winter Olympics while 22% disapprove and 31% are unsure. President Joe Biden’s decision marks only the second boycott in U.S. history. The first such action was taken by Jimmy Carter in 1980 when he introduced a full boycott to the Moscow summer olympics to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
“The athletes on Team USA have our full support,” Psaki said. “We will be behind them 100% as we cheer them on from home. We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games.”
The athletes representing the United States participated in the Opening Ceremony on February 4. There are 15 sports in the Winter Olympic Games and the United States has athlete representation in every event. Some of the most popular sports for fans in America are ice hockey, figure skating, skiing and snowboarding.
“We don’t think it was the right step to penalize athletes who have been training, preparing for this moment,” Psaki said. “We felt that we could send a clear message by not sending an official U.S. delegation.”
The U.S. treated diplomatic representation no differently for the Olympics than they do for all business and government decisions regarding human rights violations. The U.S. is particularly concerned with the actions of China in the western region of Xinjiang. According to the White House, there have been particular human rights violations against the Uyghur population and other ethnic and religious minority groups.
“As the President has told President Xi, standing up for human rights is in the DNA of Americans,” Psaki said. “We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights. And we feel strongly in our position, and we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond.”
When the Pew Research Center asked Americans how they viewed China in relation to the United States, 54% viewed China as a competitor, while 35% considered it an enemy. Only 9% of Americans believe that China is a partner of the United States.
Although Biden announced the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Games in early December, a Pew Research Poll found that many Americans were unaware of the decision. About 91% of Americans said they have heard little about the U.S. decision to boycott the Olympics due to human rights violations in China. Additionally, 46% of Americans said they heard nothing at all in regards to the olympic boycott.
“U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these Games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang,” Psaki said. “And we simply can’t do that.”
While U.S. athletes are currently competing in Beijing, the political tensions between China and the U.S. remain. Despite the virtual summit held between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in November, their relationship remains conflicted. As the 2022 Winter Olympics get underway, the U.S. and China remain divided in disputes over infrastructure, trade, military aggression and human rights.