The United States is acting against the Olympic spirit by considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over China’s repression of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
“Politicizing sports is against the ‘Olympic spirit’ and damages the interests of athletes of all countries,” said a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry.
Such a boycott means athletes can compete in February, but President Joe Biden and other senior government officials would not attend the opening ceremony of the event.
Washington accuses China of genocide against the Uyghurs and violating human rights in general. The allegations are “completely unfounded,” Beijing said.
According to the White House, Biden held hours of video consultations with his counterpart Xi Jinping earlier this week, but the diplomatic boycott was not discussed. However, in the G7, the group of wealthy industrial countries, there is also a diplomatic boycott.