Next February, China plans to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing and the surrounding province. This is proving problematic for the governments of many nations because of the growing global attention that is focused on the country’s ongoing genocide, as Mike Pompeo appointed, against the Uyghur people. Republicans in the Senate have already drafted a measure calling for the games to be moved to a different and less repressive country. Several European nations have similarly condemned China’s actions.
But how have our northern neighbors reacted? Canada is preparing to send its athletes to Beijing to compete, but its Olympic committee warns them in advance not to say anything “controversial” that could upset the Chinese Communist Party. (Free tag)
The Canadian Olympic Committee said its athletes should avoid publicly criticizing China before the 2022 winter games in Beijing, due to concerns that critics could be prosecuted under the Communist Party’s national security laws, as reported by the Globe and Mail on Thursday.
David Shoemaker, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, said the committee plans to spend “a considerable amount of time” instructing its competitors on what “they might consider not commenting on, perhaps, at least until after the Games.” . ”
“There have been dissidents in Hong Kong who have been taken away and accused of saying things that have been contrary to the Chinese government’s policies of the Communist Party,” Shoemaker told the newspaper. “So we’ll talk to our athletes about the implications of what they say and the topics they decide to talk about.”
That may not be the case quite as bad as it looks at first glance, although it’s still not a very good message to send. First, the policy does not come from the current Canadian government, but from its Olympic committee. And it doesn’t sound like they’re trying to offer any kind of protection to the Chinese government over their repressive actions. They are more concerned about their athletes being arrested or arrested when they get to the games if they are openly critical of the genocide.
Would the Chinese really arrest athletes from another nation at the games and shut them down? Given his recent career, I guess we really can’t get over anything, but at least it would be unusual. They generally feel free to abuse their own people as much as they want, but it would be an important escalation to grab a Canadian, American or European citizen and throw him in a cell.
Of course, we should probably be careful about the hard line we take in Canada when you consider that the Biden administration is not setting the exact example on this issue. On Wednesday, Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden currently has no plans to boycott the games or prevent American athletes from participating. When asked if Biden supported the Senate initiative to move the games, Psaki referred reporters to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
“Of course, we consult closely with allies and partners at all levels to define our common concerns and establish a shared approach, but there is no discussion about a change in our plans from the United States at this time,” he said. dit.
The White House and the State Department, repeatedly asked in recent days if the Biden administration supported moving the Games, referred reporters to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) for further comment.
At this point, we don’t even know if the Biden administration will stick with the genocide designation. Biden’s choice to be our United Nations ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said during the Senate questioning the State Department’s “review” of the appointment. It made it seem more of a technical or procedural issue, but the White House clearly leaves the door open to the possibility of Pompey’s decision being reversed.
If this is the case, we will have very little ability to criticize Canada for its rather lukewarm approach.