Politicizing sports bound to be unpopular

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Wang Xinjuan
Time
2022-01-20 16:05:19

By Zhong Sheng

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is a grand event for Winter Olympic athletes and enthusiasts for ice and snow sports around the world. People from all over the world have been looking forward to it for a long time. However, the US government has repeatedly played political tricks when it's high time for the start of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, blatantly declaring its refusal to send diplomatic or official representatives to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics under the pretext of the so-called "human rights issue in Xinjiang". The US government's insistence on politicizing sports is a serious departure from the spirit of the Olympic Charter and a blatant political provocation. It will only make people around the world see through the US government's hypocrisy and anti-China nature.

The so-called "genocide" in Xinjiang is a big lie of the century deliberately concocted by the US, which has long been exposed by facts. At present, the overall social situation in Xinjiang continues to be stable, and the people of all ethnic groups live and work in harmony. Xinjiang is in the best period of development in history, where the rights of people of all ethnic groups have got fully respected and protected. The US’s attempt to link its refusal to send government officials to the 2022 Winter Olympics with its own lie of the century cannot blind the eyes of the world. It will only reveal its true intention to attack and smear China and interfere in China's internal affairs under the guise of "human rights".

The Winter Olympics is not a stage for political show and political manipulation. The constant hype of the so-called "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics by American politicians without being invited by the host country is but a farce written, directed and performed by themselves. The protagonists of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are athletes from various countries, instead of individual politicians. A successful and wonderful Olympic Games requires the joint efforts of the entire Olympic family, and does not depend on the attendance of officials from individual countries. Just as Dick Pound , a senior member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has put it bluntly, the US move will have little impact on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is a symbol of human unity and friendship. At present, the preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have entered a critical sprint period. The international community, including the ICO, has highly recognized China's preparations, and foreign athletes are looking forward to attending the event in China. Multilateral mechanisms such as the G20, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), have also expressed firm support to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Recently, the Beijing Winter Olympic Truce Resolution jointly drafted by China and the IOC was adopted by consensus at the recent 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which is a recognition of the role of sport in building a global capacity to respond to the impact of COVID-19, an opportunity to demonstrate the value of human solidarity, resilience and international cooperation. The resolution was adopted by consensus and jointly proposed by the vast majority of UN member states, which just reflects the firm support of UN member states for the Games and the International Olympic Movement, and also manifests the international community's solidarity and strong determination to overcome the pandemic, maintain peace, and work together towards the future.

China is confident and capable of working with the IOC and other countries to demonstrate the Olympic spirit of "more unity" and present a simple, safe and wonderful Olympics to the world, aiming to jointly promote the healthy development of the international Olympic cause , while adhering to the concepts of "green, sharing, openness and integrity ". The US government has insisted on politicizing sports, trying to interfere in and sabotage the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which is in a sense undermining the interests of athletes from all over the world, including the US, and the international Olympic cause, and harming the common interests of people all over the world. It is bound to be unpopular and make itself a laughingstock.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on People's Daily, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by China Military Online.

 

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