Boycott of Beijing Olympics doomed to fail, as boycott of Sochi games: Chinese envoy
Dec 30, 2021
Beijing [China], December 30 : A diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics by the US is doomed to fail, as the boycott of the Games in Sochi, said Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui while adding that China and Russia are ready to resist the politicization of sports.
"The US boycott of the Sochi Winter Olympics failed, and this political maneuver of refusing to send officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics is doomed to failure. All those who oppose the true spirit of democracy and unity of all mankind will eventually reap the bitter fruit," Zhang said in an interview with Russian news agency Sputnik.
The upcoming Beijing Olympics have been marred with controversy as activists and human rights defenders have been calling world leaders to boycott the event considering human rights situations in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet.
Earlier this month, the US announced its intention not to send any diplomatic representation to the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights issues in China.
This decision has been backed by other US allies, including the UK, Canada, and Australia. However, athletes from those respective nations countries are still free to participate in the event.
China has expressed its displeasure over the US and its allies' decision to boycott the games. Beijing also promised to take decisive action in this regard. The 2022 Winter Olympics will take place in Beijing in February next year.