{"id":237721,"date":"2022-02-03T23:58:50","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T07:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=237721"},"modified":"2022-05-31T14:48:26","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T21:48:26","slug":"on-the-eve-of-olympic-opening-ceremonies-disquiet-dominates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2022\/02\/on-the-eve-of-olympic-opening-ceremonies-disquiet-dominates\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Eve of Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Disquiet Dominates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nerves are running high for athletes and organizers on the eve of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The prospect of further <\/span>boycotts<\/span><\/a> by activists, diplomats, and athletes threatens to <\/span>spoil organizers\u2019 hopes of a seamless spectacle<\/span><\/a>. The possibility of <\/span>COVID-19 infections<\/span><\/a> and potential <\/span>government punishment of free speech<\/span><\/a> imperils athletes\u2019 hard-earned Olympic moment. For all involved, a successful Winter Olympic Games is far from guaranteed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Opening Ceremonies present the first test. In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Josh Rogin announced that <\/span>some athletes are considering boycotting the Opening Ceremonies on Friday over China\u2019s human rights record<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Olympic athletes from multiple countries who want to show solidarity with the victims of the Chinese government\u2019s human rights abuses have been quietly preparing to boycott the Opening Ceremonies, according to human rights activists who have been helping to educate and organize them.<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] The athletes have also come under pressure from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its sponsors to avoid controversy. But if they don\u2019t feel safe speaking out, the activists told them, skipping the Opening and Closing Ceremonies would at least deny the Chinese government the ability to use those ceremonies to legitimize its abuses and whitewash its crimes. Activists told me that athletes from at least two Western teams confirmed they will not be attending the Opening Ceremonies as their personal form of protest.<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] The exact number of athletes planning to boycott the Opening Ceremonies is unknown. Activists told me several athletes expressed fear of being arrested by Chinese authorities or being punished by their home nation\u2019s Olympics organization if they protested at all. Some athletes told the activists they would explain why they skipped the Opening Ceremonies only after the games ended, remaining silent while in China to avoid punishment. [<\/span>Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Taiwan is another country whose athletes were set to boycott the Opening Ceremonies. Initially, the Taiwanese decision to boycott was based on flight delays, COVID-19 restrictions, and the <\/span>expectation of Chinese propaganda efforts<\/span><\/a>, such as displaying pro-unification messages and co-opting Taiwanese volunteers for the ceremonies. But after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) <\/span>implicitly threatened to downgrade Taiwan\u2019s status<\/span><\/a> by putting its athletes alongside Chinese-run Hong Kong, Taiwan reversed its position, according to a senior Taiwanese official. Its 15-member team, including four athletes, will compete under the name \u201cChinese Taipei.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Opening Ceremonies will also be the first test of freedom of expression by athletes. <\/span>Rule 50<\/span><\/a> of the Olympic Charter prohibits athletes from engaging in political protests at Olympic events, and governments have warned their athletes that their speech may be <\/span>subject to both Olympic rules and the Chinese judicial system<\/span><\/a>. Chinese officials have warned that those whose behavior is \u201cagainst the Olympic spirit\u201d would face \u201c<\/span>certain punishment<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Worried about possible retaliation for protests, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned American athletes to \u201c<\/span>be safe<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Freedom of expression related to LGBTQ+ issues will also be tested<\/span><\/a> during the ceremonies. This year, a <\/span>record number of out <\/span><\/a>LGBTQ+<\/span><\/a> athletes<\/span><\/a> will participate in the Winter Olympics. In the Opening Ceremonies of previous Olympic Games, out athletes have openly expressed their sexual orientations in various ways, including <\/span>marriage proposals during live broadcasts<\/span><\/a>. Some worry whether this year\u2019s games will offer a similarly welcoming environment,\u00a0<\/span>given that the Chinese government has dramatically <\/span>increased censorship of LGBTQ+ expression, online and off.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Activists abroad have been busy preparing alternatives and ripostes to the Opening Ceremonies. On Thursday, activists staged <\/span>protests in over 65 cities worldwide<\/span><\/a> to protest the Beijing Winter Olympics, with some calling for the resignation of IOC president Thomas Bach and more <\/span>government action beyond diplomatic boycotts<\/span><\/a>. In an effort to persuade global audiences <\/span>not to watch the Olympic Games<\/span><\/a>, activists will be offering an <\/span>alternative Opening Ceremony<\/span><\/a> on Friday. At Reuters, Stephanie Nebehay reported on a <\/span>Tibetan protest against the Olympics at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Several hundred Tibetan and Uyghur activists marched on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday, a day before Beijing 2022 opens, accusing the Swiss-based organisation of complicity in “atrocities” committed against ethnic minorities in China.<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] The marchers – many wrapped in the red, yellow and blue flag of Tibet and dressed in traditional robes – chanted and played drums, holding a minute of silence for their “martyrs” before starting a “peace march” along Lake Geneva.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their chants included “Beijing Olympics, Genocide Games”, “Tibet is burning” and “Long live Dalai Lama”.<\/span><\/p>\n

They presented a petition to IOC security staff signed by the presidents of 10 Tibetan communities in Europe. [<\/span>Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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NO RIGHTS, NO GAMES!#Beijing2022<\/a> #OpeningCeremony<\/a> #NoBeijing2022<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/GrcUfJg8gu<\/a><\/p>\n

— Students for a Free Tibet (@SFTHQ) February 3, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n