China does not intend to invite western politicians calling for Olympics boycott: Report
Nov 29, 2021
Beijing [China], November 29 : China does not intend to invite to the 2022 Olympics Western politicians who call for a diplomatic boycott of the games, Chinese state media reported.
The Global Times noted that it learned that Beijing had never planned to invite those "who hype the boycott topic" to attend the Olympics, according to Sputnik.
This comes as several foreign leaders have called for a diplomatic boycott of the Games.
During a Monday briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin criticized the politicization of sports and stressed that it was an event for athletes, not politicians.
Wang further condemned Washington's rhetoric as going against the spirit of the Olympic Charter and affirmed Beijing's commitment to holding safe and great Games.
Moreover, under the Olympic rules, government officials should be invited first by their countries' Olympic committees, and the invitation should then be approved by the International Olympic Committee, the spokesperson added.
Human rights activists have raised their voices against China's detention of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province and crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
In March, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity for alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to Sputnik.
The Winter Olympics in Beijing is scheduled from February 4-20, 2022.
Early this month, United States President Joe Biden had said that his administration was considering a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, according to NBC News.
Asked about the possibility of the boycott during an Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Biden responded that it was "something we are considering", according to NBC News.
The White House usually sends a delegation to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, but this time, under a diplomatic boycott, it would not send the delegation.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also said that he is also considering the same over the alleged human rights violations in China, according to media reports.
