Justin Trudeau said Beijing said Canada would join the boycott of the Winter Olympics in China.
Canada joined Australia, Britain and the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on Wednesday, in which China called the boycotts a “political posturing” and a smear campaign .
The United States was the first to announce a boycott this week, saying on Monday its government officials would not attend the Beijing Olympics in February because of China’s “atrocities” on human rights. , weeks after talks aimed at easing strained relations between the world’s two largest economies.
China on Tuesday said the United States would “pay the price” for its decision and warned of countermeasures, but gave no details. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sought to mitigate the growing diplomatic boycott.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Beijing would be aware of long-standing Western concerns about human rights in China. “(Therefore) it is not surprising that we decided not to send a diplomatic representative.”
Trudeau’s decision is certain to add strain to an already strained relationship with Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou being detained on US orders.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Canada accused Trudeau of making false statements.
“Based on ideological biases as well as lies and rumours, Canada and a number of Western countries have blatantly engaged in political activism, in an attempt to disrupt the smooth progress. of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, their clumsy performances are hard to find any spokesperson said in a written statement.
IOC President Thomas Bach said the Committee was always interested in the participation of athletes in the Olympic Games.
So “we welcome the support given to their Olympic teams, all of which the government has emphasized,” he said in a video press conference. “This gives the athletes certainty and this is what the IOC is all about.”
The chairman of Beijing 2022’s athletes’ committee said the Olympics are a stage for athletes, not a running track for politics, according to Xinhua news agency.
“The politicization of sports and the use of the Olympics as a vehicle for political ends by politicians is certainly,” said Yang Yang, China’s first Winter Olympics gold medalist. would violate the (Rules) of the Olympic Games”.
UK and Australia boycott
Asked earlier in parliament whether his country would follow Washington’s lead, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “There will be a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in North Korea. Kinh, no ministers attended and no officials.”
“I don’t think boycotting sport is justified and that is still government policy,” he added, adding British athletes would still compete.
China said it had not invited British officials.
“Bringing up the issue in the presence of government officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics is essentially a political smear campaign,” said a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London.
Earlier, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia’s decision was made because it was difficult to reopen diplomatic channels with China to discuss allegations of human rights abuses in the far west. Xinjiang and Beijing’s moves against Australian imports.
China has denied any wrongdoing in Xinjiang and says the allegations are fabricated.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Australian politicians had engaged in a “political situation”.
“Whether they come or not, nobody cares,” he added.
The Australian Olympic Committee said the boycott would not affect athletes’ preparations for the Games, which run from February 4 to 20, adding that “diplomatic options” were at issue. of governments.
For the Olympic Committee of Canada (COC), a diplomatic boycott recognized the difference between government and athlete involvement, and provided a platform to shed light on China issues. .
“The Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee remain concerned about issues in China but understand that the Games will provide an important platform to draw attention to them,” the COC said in a statement. dad.
Slow to commit
Other US allies have been slow to commit to joining the boycott, although Japan is considering not sending cabinet members to the Olympics, the Sankei Shimbun daily said on Wednesday, citing sources unspecified government.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said: “The decision of countries to boycott the Olympics is their own decision that they have to make for themselves. “They (other countries) decide how they will move forward and whether to boycott or not.”
President Joe Biden’s administration has cited what the United States calls genocide against minority Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. China denies any human rights abuses.
The United States will host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and is preparing to host the 2030 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
