China Faces Challenges Ahead of Beijing Olympics
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.
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