My TakeFoolish to boycott Beijing’s Winter Olympics
- If history is any guide, such a drastic measure by the United States or any major Western government would herald Cold War 2.0
Canada’s parliament has lately been very busy with China. Last week, the House of Commons voted to call on the International Olympic Committee to withdraw the right of Beijing to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The same amended motion also declared China to be committing genocide against the Uygurs in Xinjiang.
Such calls are similar to those made by the US Congress and the administration of former president Donald Trump. Internationally, more than 180 human rights groups are also calling for an Olympic boycott.
Their immediate goal is not so much to target the IOC and Beijing, as to put pressure on the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau and the Joe Biden administration to take a stance on the Beijing Olympics.
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It’s obvious that the IOC would do no such thing, not only because its bosses have always had friendly relations with China, but also there is no formal mechanism to move the Olympics from a selected host country. Practically, doing it at such a late date would likely mean cancelling the events altogether.
At this point, it’s most unlikely that the United States and Canada would boycott Beijing. Instead, they will issue harsh criticism against China in the lead-up to the event.