Overseas online commentary: The Beijing Winter Olympics is not a stage for political shows

Abstract: Pure ice and snow sports cannot tolerate dirty political calculations.

Infographic: Beijing Winter Olympics Tinder Lantern exhibited in the Sky Dome Hall of the Olympic Tower. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)

On December 7, in response to the U.S. government's announcement that it would not send government officials to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee issued a statement saying that the Olympic Games and athletes' participation were beyond politics. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made it clear on December 7 that the Winter Olympics are not a stage for political showmanship and political manipulation, and that without an invitation, the US side linked whether or not to send government officials to attend the so-called "Xinjiang human rights issue." This is a complete reversal of black and white, mistakes added to mistakes, and self-deception. The political plot of the United States is unpopular and doomed to failure.

The United States claims that the boycott of the Olympics is to "defend human rights", however, the American politicians who now use the Olympic Games to hype up "human rights issues" seem to have forgotten what an embarrassment and cold reception Owens, a black athlete who won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, encountered after returning to the United States with honors - US President Roosevelt refused to talk about his topic and did not invite him to meet in the White House. What was even more outrageous was that he could not enter through the main entrance when he attended his celebration feast. With such a "black history" in the past, where did the United States have the courage to use "human rights" as an excuse to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics?

In fact, the hypocrisy of American politicians cannot be seen by even their own people. Sarah Hirschland, CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, has publicly called out to the U.S. government that any boycott of the Olympic Games has proven to have a very significant negative impact on the enthusiasm and competitive status of athletes, and cannot effectively solve international problems. The U.S. government does not even care about the rights and interests of its own athletes, and how much credibility can its so-called "defense of human rights" have?

In the final analysis, the so-called "diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics" trick of the US government is nothing more than a calculated political show. The first is to cater to the anti-China forces in the United States, and the other is to create a new grip on "value diplomacy" out of thin air. Over the past period of time, due to a series of factors such as the ongoing new crown epidemic, high inflation, and weak economic recovery, the biden administration's support rate has fallen rapidly, and the latest comprehensive poll released by the poll website FiveThirtyEight on December 6 shows that Biden's current approval rating is only 42.7%. In the view of the White House, playing the "human rights card" can not only win over the anti-China political forces in China, but also show supporters the "achievements" made in the field of "defending human rights.", and the full calculation has nothing to do with the "human rights" that the White House pays lip service.

However, pure snow sports cannot tolerate dirty political calculations. The US attempt to politicize sports based on ideological bias and political motivation runs counter to the new Olympic maxim of "greater unity" and has been strongly opposed by the international community. In recent times, the International Olympic Committee and many countries have expressed their blessings and support for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and many foreign athletes are eagerly looking forward to participating in China and looking forward to realizing the dream of a sports career with hard work and sweat in the Beijing Winter Olympics. According to the US political news website Politico, IOC member Dick Pond said that the US "diplomatic boycott" will have little impact on Beijing. As Ambassador Zhang Jun, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told the media on December 2 after the 76th session of the Ungain General Assembly passed the Olympic Truce resolution for the Beijing Winter Olympics, "If you come or not, the Beijing Winter Olympics will be here and will be a success." (Nie Shuyi)