To refuse to send an official delegation from the United States to the Olympics in Beijing while American athletes are competing is akin to dropping off dessert at a party and then protesting your absence. If your absence causes a stir at the beginning, it will be largely forgotten by the time everyone has eaten their pie.
The International Olympic Committee’s tyrants and assorted swells should not be rubbing shoulders with athletes at the Olympic Games. Before, and at a lower cost. President Xi Jinping’s regime in Beijing has been accused of “disappearing” tennis star Peng Shuai after she made a sexual assault allegation against a close ally of President Xi Jinping, as well as oppressing Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province, crushing dissidents in Hong Kong, and posing a threat to Taiwan’s neighbor.
It’s worth noting that the “diplomatic boycott” of China by the Biden administration may only be a half-step, but it’s still a significant step forward in holding China accountable for its grave and varied human rights abuses. Only time will tell if other parties follow their lead.
There will be no American athletes participating in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, perhaps recalling President Jimmy Carter’s decision to support a full-blown boycott of the Moscow Games in 1980.
Said she, “The athletes on Team USA have our full support.” “As we watch from home, they have our full support. We’re not going to be a part of the Games’ hype…
Psaki quickly followed up with, “It can’t be business as usual.”
Even so, the hosts and their IOC stooges are banking on it.
Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, accused US politicians of “purely wishful thinking” and grandstanding. China will take “firm countermeasures” if the U.S. side goes its own way, he said, but he didn’t give any specifics on how the Chinese might retaliate.
They probably won’t have to do anything. Until the mega-sponsors of the Games, such as Coca-Cola, Intel, and P&G, Toyota, and Visa, are willing to keep their eyes open, they won’t have to. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) comes in here.
Add Read: The United States Closes the Investigation without Charging Anyone
Before 1964, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rebuffed South Africa’s invitation to compete at the 1964 Summer Olympics, and it was only in 1992 that the country was finally expelled. The IOC has since lost its sense of morality. There is the only concern for the Renminbi or Benjamins anymore for the people in charge.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed relief “that the participation of the (U.S.) athletes are beyond politics and we welcome this.” ” Additionally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that “the IOC in its political neutrality fully respects” the decision by the United States to keep American dignitaries out of Rio de Janeiro.
You only have to look back two weeks to see how IOC President Thomas Bach and his lieutenant Dick Pound tried to whitewash the controversy surrounding Peng’s safety. They claimed that the IOC’s experts (who were not named) came to the unanimous conclusion that Peng was “fine” following a video call (which was not made public).
During an interview with CNN, Pound said, “She just requested that her privacy be respected at this time.” A good thing was that he wasn’t asked about the incarcerated Uyghurs or the Hong Kong protestors in hiding.
Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters, which prompted the NBA to back down from a confrontation with Chinese officials in 2019. In the aftermath of Morey’s tweet, NBA sponsors, television stations, and streaming services canceled games for months; the league estimated that the fallout cost it $400 million.
As the cost of doing business in China rises, the NBA isn’t the only big American brand that has been silenced. That includes non-Olympic businesses as well. It may be more difficult for companies like Starbucks, Apple, Google, Nike, and many others to chart a course for the future as already tumultuous relations with China continue to deteriorate.
One thing is for sure: none of them will follow in the footsteps of WTA CEO Steve Simon. In order to ensure that Peng “is free, safe, and not subject to censorship, coercion, and intimidation,” he ordered tournaments to be suspended in China.
Simon explained his reasoning in a follow-up CNN interview a few days later. They would choke if they tried to be even half as sincere as the heads of state and the CEOs of the world.
According to Simon, “There are too many times in our world today when it comes to issues like this where we let business, politics or even money dictate what’s correct or incorrect.” When we make decisions as a global community, we must do so in accordance with what is right and wrong, no matter what the circumstances.
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