"Frankly meaningless" says World Athletics president Seb Coe on UK's Winter Olympic boycott due to Peng Shuai situation

World Athletics president Seb Coe has criticized the United Kingdom's plans to politically boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics, calling such acts "frankly meaningless" and "intellectually dishonest."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed in December that the United Kingdom will join the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in a political boycott of February's Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The decision was made as uncertainty still reigns in regards to the freedom and autonomy of tennis star Peng Shuai, who accused former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in early November.

Governing bodies both in and outside tennis have not been fully satisfied of the 35-year-old's safety despite making contact via video link in recent weeks, raising concerns over China's human rights record. Senior International Olympic Committee member Coe spoke out against boycotts as a means of effecting change.

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“I’m not insouciant or cavalier about human rights, I take them very seriously. But we have to be realistic, when we take our events around the world there are going to be challenges: culturally, politically, socially. I guess my fallacy position on this is always, in an imperfect world, sport is the one continuum that can actually create some stability. I’ve witnessed time after time the impact that sport has had in flicking that dial, socially, politically, economically.”

He further said:

"A political boycott is, frankly, meaningless. And in a world where I actually think discussion and relationships are important, rarely do I see isolation bearing fruit. But that’s not to be an apologist for countries that do not conform to the basic standards around human rights. I’ve never witnessed sport leaving any country in worse shape than when it’s been there. The impact across the board can be, on many occasions, quite profound.”