Beijing Winter Olympic boycott backed

A number of Christians are backing calls for a diplomatic boycott of the forthcoming winter Olympic Games, which are set to take place in the Chinese capital from 4–20 February. So far the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia have all announced boycotts; no UK government ministers will attend the games.

Concerns have been heightened following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recent refusal to meet the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region. The Coalition had for some time been pressing the IOC to confront the possibility that the Muslim Uyghur minority was being forced to manufacture official merchandise for the Olympics, and to ask what it was doing to prevent it.

Magali Martowicz, the IOC’s head of human rights responded: ‘While we will continue to strengthen our work in relation to labour rights, we regret to conclude that your organisation and the IOC will not be able to engage in a dialogue this time as a result of differences in approach’.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide welcomed the boycott. Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘We urge other states to follow the US and UK lead. Uyghurs, Christians, Muslims and others continue to suffer under a grave and ongoing crackdown on religion or belief across the country, while the authorities also target anyone who stands up for human rights. Governments should take this opportunity to demonstrate that there can be no business as usual while these atrocities are taking place, and states must continue to hold China to account for its egregious violations at every opportunity – both in public and in private.’

Speaking in the House of Lords the Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith, also supported the boycott, disagreeing with former Olympian and member of the International Olympic Committee Lord Coe, who had argued that a boycott would be a meaningless gesture. ‘Let us be in no doubt,’ Dr Smith said, ‘it would mean a huge amount to those Uyghurs who are living in fear and feel abandoned to their fate.’