Africa Business Radio

The United States announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, citing human rights abuses, in a move that will not stop US athletes from competing. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. The US government has been trying to find the best way to position itself with regard to the Winter Games, hosted from February 4-20, 2022 by a country it accuses of perpetrating genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, northwest China. Psaki says sending official representation to the Olympics would signal that, despite China’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang the Games were business as usual.