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As Australia unveils Olympics uniforms, concerns over Xinjiang cotton links emerge
- The Australian Olympic committee has rolled out sportswear from ASICS, a firm facing questions over its use of cotton from China’s Xinjiang region
- Amid reports of mass detention and forced labour of Uygur Muslims, the US has banned all cotton from Xinjiang. Australia’s parliament is mulling a similar move
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Australian Olympians became embroiled in the global row over Chinese forced-labour cotton Wednesday as the country revealed its uniforms for the upcoming Tokyo Games.
The Australian Olympic committee faced criticism as it rolled out ASICS-branded sportswear, with the company facing questions over its use of cotton from the Xinjiang region.
“We’ve been assured that none of the cotton for the Australian Olympic team comes from that region,” said Ian Chesterman, Australian Olympic Committee vice-president.
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“I think athletes at the moment need to focus on what their job is, which is to get out there and compete for Australia,” he said during a press conference.
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Global brands face backlash in China for rejecting Xinjiang cotton
Global brands face backlash in China for rejecting Xinjiang cotton
At least 1 million Uygurs and people from other mostly Muslim groups are believed to have been held in camps in Xinjiang, in China’s northwest.
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