Will the Winter Olympics take place without the USA? If US President Joe Biden has his way, that is a very conceivable scenario. On Thursday, in response to a question from a journalist, the President of the United States said that it was being considered, but without going into detail. It is questionable what exactly such a diplomatic boycott could look like. It would mean that unlike usual, no government representatives will travel to the Olympic Games. The participation of US athletes should remain unaffected. The White House left details of such a step open.
The Winter Olympics will take place in China from February 4th to 20th. However, many sides have accused the Middle Kingdom of human rights violations – above all against minorities such as the Muslim Uyghurs. Human rights groups cite the Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong autonomous regions as examples of Chinese reprisals. Again and again, boycott calls for the winter games there are loud.
There is great political tension between the USA and China because of the human rights situation, but also because of various other issues. Biden and China’s head of state Xi Jinping had discussed the relationship between their countries at an online summit just a few days ago and warned of a dangerous confrontation. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday that a possible boycott of the Olympic Games was not an issue during the conversation.
