Headline Roundup January 30, 2022
China Faces Challenges Ahead of Beijing Olympics
China,Sports,Beijing Olympics,Coronavirus,Xinjiang,Uighur Muslims,Human Rights,Genocide,Coronavirus Lockdowns,World,Foreign Policy
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Beijing Olympics are set to begin amid COVID-19 lockdowns, geopolitical tensions and other challenges.
The Games, which are scheduled to begin Friday, have long been a source of controversy. The White House announced in December that due to “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,” no U.S. government official would attend the games. The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Japan and Lithuania have also joined the diplomatic boycott. Furthermore, Olympics organizers reported 36 COVID-19 cases over the weekend, including among athletes and Olympics officials. China has implemented a “Zero COVID” strategy of strict lockdowns ahead of the games; Beijing officials sealed off several residential areas on Sunday after the discovery of just two cases. Geopolitical tensions were also raised on Sunday after North Korea, which sits less than 500 miles from Beijing, tested its longest-range missile since 2017.
Outlets across the spectrum covered stories related to the Beijing Olympics over the weekend. Left- and center-rated outlets were more likely to publish opinion and analysis coverage.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Photo: AFP
Fireworks of red and gold faded to give way to 2,008 performers beating the fou – an ancient percussion instrument – while chanting excerpts from Confucius’ Analects.
It was the night of August 8, 2008, the opening ceremony for China’s first Olympic Games. Beijing was not only eager to flaunt China’s rich history and culture but also its brand new stadiums, its ability to run an international event smoothly and its talented athletes who went on to win more gold medals than any other nation.
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Photograph: VCG/Getty Images
Hosting the Winter Olympics during a pandemic was always going to test the Chinese government, by putting its ever-growing ability to exercise political control and virus containment on a collision course with its enthusiasm for international prestige and status.
The 2022 Winter Games, which open on Friday, are being held at a time of particularly intense western criticism of China over human rights abuses, from the mass persecution of Uyghurs in far western Xinjiang – labelled a genocide by the United States – and other groups including Tibetans, to the crushing of Hong Kong’s...
U.S. athletes and attendees at the Beijing Winter Games will likely be forced to use technology linked to Chinese Communist Party repression thanks to selections by China and the International Olympic Committee.
The 2022 Games have been dubbed the "Genocide Olympics" by leaders and activists who believe the competition should not be held in a country responsible for a host of human rights abuses. The United States concluded that the CCP is conducting a genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang in western China.
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