Dylan Bettencourt
Australia confirmed that they will be joining the United States in the diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics to be held in China early next year.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said they decided to take action due to the poor human rights record of China, along with many other issues that Australia has consistently raised.
“I am very happy to talk to the Chinese government about these issues and there has been no obstacle to that occurring from our side but the Chinese government has consistently avoided the opportunities to meet with us,” Morrison said.
The prime minister added that, like the United States, their athletes will still attend and participate in the games, but government representatives will not be present in China for the event.
The Chinese embassy in Australia criticised the move claiming that it will not help improve an already strained relationship between the two countries.
“As we all know, the blame for the current predicament of China-Australia relations lies squarely on the Australian side,” the statement read.
Australia’s move comes after the United States confirmed they will be boycotting the event next year in a decision that China said will force them to take “countermeasures.”
Following the United States decision to announce a diplomatic boycott of the event, the Chinese embassy in Washington said the move was a “grave distortion of the spirit of the Olympic charter” and that American politicians were not invited to the games anyway.
New Zealand will not send their government officials to China either but cited the reason as Covid-19 issues as opposed to human rights concerns.
The Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, the capital city of China, from 4 February until 20 February.
Image source: @BeyondSport
