BIDEN CONSIDERS DIPLOMATIC BOYCOTT OF OLYMPICS
Move would not keep U.S. athletes from competing in Beijing
President Joe Biden said Thursday that the United States was considering a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, as pressure grows to hold China accountable for human rights abuses.
A boycott would mean that government officials would not attend the Games, which are slated to begin in February, although it would not prevent U.S. athletes from competing.
As he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada at the White House, Biden responded to a reporter’s question about the potential for a diplomatic boycott by saying it was “something we are considering.”
The comment came days after a virtual meeting between Biden and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, that was meant to prevent increasing tensions from turning into a broader conflict. While Xi warned the administration against supporting Taiwan, Biden raised concerns about abuses in the Xinjiang region, Tibet and Hong Kong, according to a White House statement.
Abuses against the Uyghur community, as well as a crackdown on free speech in Hong Kong, have prompted calls from about 180 human rights organizations and members of Congress to use the Olympics as an opportunity to hold China accountable. But while some see a diplomatic boycott as a way to send a message without punishing U.S. athletes, others questioned the effectiveness of withholding a government delegation when public attention is on the athletic competition.
“Whether we want it or not, the Olympics in Beijing are going to happen,” said Frédéric Mégret, a co-director of the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism at McGill University and an international human rights lawyer. “The question is: Do you want to give the Chinese government photo ops?”
Bipartisan support for a boycott of some kind has steadily increased. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California this year called for the president to withhold a U.S. delegation from attending, although she has said that athletes should be able to compete. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., called on Thursday for a total boycott of the Beijing Games.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told The New York Times last week that the United States was discussing with allies “how they’re thinking about participation” in the Olympics. “It’s an active conversation,” he said. Governments in Canada and Europe have also faced pressure to boycott the Games.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which would need to sign off on any full boycott, has made clear that it does not support a boycott that would prevent American athletes from competing in Beijing.
“They have been shown to negatively impact athletes while not effectively addressing global issues,” Kate Hartman, a spokesperson for the committee, said of boycotts. “We believe that the more effective course of action is for the governments of the world and China to engage directly on human rights and geopolitical issues.”
Biden and Xi did not discuss the Beijing Olympics when they met on Monday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said Thursday.
But she acknowledged that “we do have concern,” noting the human rights abuses. Psaki did not respond to an email asking whether the president had made a decision about the Games.
The last time the United States fully boycotted the Olympics was in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter rallied against allowing athletes to participate in the Summer Games in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union’s military presence in Afghanistan.
The move is widely regarded as producing few tangible results while providing Russia with ample talking points.