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The Diplomatic Boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Explained
Author Name, ProPublica
2022-02
This month, the United States announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, a move that was quickly followed by Australia, Britain and Canada.
Diplomacy is by its nature byzantine, and sometimes secretive as well. We’ll try to get to the bottom of what it all means.
What is a diplomatic boycott?
Those who remember the 1980s may think of an Olympic boycott as countries staying home, athletes and all. But the U.S. diplomatic boycott will preclude only government officials from attending. Typically, high-ranking officials from many countries attend the Games, which are among the biggest international gatherings outside of the United Nations and major summits.
What reason did the U.S. give for the boycott?
In announcing the decision, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, cited “genocide and crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang, a northwestern region of China. The Chinese government has cracked down harshly on Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in that region, including mass detentions and forced use of contraception and sterilizations.
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