The United States' expected boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games was confirmed on Monday night, following criticism of China's human rights record.
US President Joe Biden said last month that a boycott was being considered, as the concern for the safety and well-being of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai increased over the last few weeks. Shuai accused a former Chinese Vice Premier of sexual assault last month and her well-being has since been called into question, with many believe the two-time doubles Grand Slam champion to be living under coercion by the government.
"The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, given China’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, and other human rights abuses,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
She said that US athletes will continue to compete and will "have our full support", but added "we will not be contributing to the fanfare of the games".
"We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights. And we feel strongly in our position and we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond," added Ms. Psaki.
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Meanwhile, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged to "think about a boycott" of the Winter Olympics as well.
Lib Dem Christine Jardine (Edinburgh West) said: "Following that litany of abuses against the Uighur Muslims, in Hong Kong and most recently the international concern about the treatment of tennis star Peng Shuai, both the US president and the Prime Minister have admitted they are considering a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in response to this.
"Would the minister agree with me that that has now taken on renewed urgency and urge the Prime Minister to think about a boycott."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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