US Olympians Voice Concern Over Human Rights Ahead of Beijing 2022

Tucker West of USA finishes his 2nd tally successful the Men's Singles during Day 2 of the 50th FIL Luge World Championships 2021 astatine LOTTO Bayern Eisarena Koenigssee successful Koenigssee, Germany, connected Jan. 30, 2021. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

Veteran Olympians for the United States denounced China’s way grounds connected quality rights this week but stopped abbreviated of endorsing a boycott of Beijing 2022, with the Winter Games rapidly approaching.

Rights groups and U.S. lawmakers person called connected the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the 2022 Games and relocate the lawsuit unless China ends what the United States deems an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and different Muslim number groups.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said connected Tuesday it would prioritize educating its athletes connected planetary issues up of the Games, wherever immoderate could look questions connected China’s quality rights record.

At the USOPC media acme this week, however, athletes were already portion of the conversation.

“Athletes person a dependable and wherefore not usage them,” two-time Olympic luger Tucker West told reporters Tuesday. “Every quality deserves to beryllium treated arsenic with respect and dignity and fairness—you know, I’ll benignant of permission it astatine that.

“Regarding the boycott: It’s not my occupation to determine wherever the Olympics are.”

Addressing China’s quality rights record, three-time Olympic crystal dancer Evan Bates offered among the strongest denunciations.

“It’s terrible—it’s awful. And I don’t deliberation immoderate jock would beryllium successful enactment of that,” Bates said, adding that celebrating “what the Olympic question stands for” was important.

“I person nary occupation speaking for the athletes and saying that what’s happening determination is unspeakable and we’re quality beings excessively and erstwhile we work and perceive astir the things that are happening there, we perfectly hatred that. We hatred what’s going connected there.”

The USOPC connected Monday refused to beryllium drawn into the debate, arsenic Chief Executive Sarah Hirshland drove location a connection that Olympic boycotts fundamentally harm athletes and bash precise small to interaction problems successful big countries.

But the taxable remained front-and-center arsenic Beijing Olympics organizers received the Olympic occurrence connected Tuesday successful Athens portion quality rights activists called for a boycott.

“For a greater alteration to hap determination indispensable beryllium the powerfulness that is beyond the Olympics. It has to beryllium changed astatine a singular scale,” said fig skater Nathan Chen, who picked up a bronze medal successful the squad lawsuit astatine the Pyeongchang Games.

“However, the information that radical are talking astir this issue, and the Olympics are bringing it to airy is already a measurement successful the close direction.”

By Amy Tennery