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For U.S. Olympic athletes, the censorship will doubtless not finish as soon as the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing come to an finish — it can solely proceed once they return residence, human rights specialists warn.
With many athletes counting on profitable company sponsorship offers, firms are susceptible to shedding cash if athletes communicate out in opposition to the continued Chinese genocide in opposition to Muslim Uyghurs. Companies resembling Airbnb, Alibaba Group, Allianz, Coca Cola, Samsung are sponsors of Team USA and conduct enterprise in China.
“The Chinese government actually frequently uses economic coercion to achieve their political goals,” stated Teng Biao, human rights activist and visiting professor on the University of Chicago, through FOX News Digital.
Biao added that regardless of the attainable dangers, athletes nonetheless have an ethical accountability to talk up in opposition to the Chinese authorities. Biao was frank in his opinion of this 12 months’s Winter Olympics, calling it the “genocide games.”
Yang Shu, deputy director basic of worldwide relations for the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOC), stated earlier than the Games started that any criticism of the Chinese authorities or tradition would include penalties.
“Any behavior or speech that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment,” Shu stated, through FOX Business.
Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher for Human Rights Watch, expressed her considerations for athletes collaborating within the video games, putting the blame on the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“There are also a lot of, you know, government leaders, world leaders, including the head of the [United Nations], delivering a speech during the opening ceremony,” Wang stated. “It’s a way to show that, you know, all these national dignitaries are coming here to congratulate the opening of the games. Of course, it’s using the game to legitimize its policies. There’s no doubt about that.”
Follow Nick Geddes on Twitter @NickGeddesNews and on Instagram @nick.geddes.
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