[HN Gopher] U.S. says it will not send officials to Beijing Wint...
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U.S. says it will not send officials to Beijing Winter Olympics
Author : 0xedb
Score : 48 points
Date : 2021-12-06 18:59 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.reuters.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.reuters.com)
| outside1234 wrote:
| If it were up to me, I'd have the athletes wear uniforms that
| alternatively "Olympic games, presented by Xinjiang concentration
| camps!", "Olympic Games, presented by no idea how the Coronavirus
| started, because there has been no investigation allowed in China
| around it origins.", and "Olympic Games, don't complain if you
| get raped because you'll end up locked in your house like Peng
| Shuai."
| dirtyid wrote:
| There's Charter rule 50 for politicization of uniforms. For
| which PRC athletes got warnings over in Tokyo for Mao pins. PRC
| will probably scrutinize thoroughly, and who knows which
| athlete's covid test turns positive and have to miss their
| event for 3 week quarantine
| brundolf wrote:
| Just emblazon them with "Remember Tiananmen Square". I'd love
| to see China try and censor its own Olympics.
| empressplay wrote:
| How about a graphic of a woman standing in front of a tank?
| That makes a clear point while removing the language
| barrier...
| encryptluks2 wrote:
| The US really needs to get its priorities in order first cause
| they could just wear shirts that mock America's slave labor
| prison system among many other things.
| petre wrote:
| It would be easier to just boycott the Beijing olympics.
| Foreign athletes are probably going to spend two weeks in
| quarantine anyway, like it happened at the 2021 Australian Open
| hotel arrest.
| lrvick wrote:
| As funny as that would be, I don't think the athletes would be
| safe making any kind of political statements directly.
| outside1234 wrote:
| I think that sums it up. How is it possible we are having an
| Olympics in such a place?
| carabiner wrote:
| Well, we in the US have our own prison camps. They're less
| racist and more driven by profiteers who are modern
| slaveowners. It's the same thing, less on the nose.
| parthdesai wrote:
| I do get your point, but the massive difference is that
| you can make that statement in US without having to think
| about repercussions. Can't do that in China.
| dirtyid wrote:
| "At least muh free speech" that changes nothing seems
| like the go-to American exceptionalism excuse. Latest
| report coming out of XJ is the mass internment phase is
| over. So the massive difference is is PRC doesn't mass
| detain minorities for longer than political goals deem
| necessary. Yet Americans still can't seem free speech /
| vote away forever for profit prison industrial complex.
| BiteCode_dev wrote:
| You may want to check out 1936 Summer Olympics.
| [deleted]
| djohnston wrote:
| TBF we had the olympics in Nazi Germany so it's not like
| this is breaking some existing streak of IOC virtue.
| outside1234 wrote:
| Why do we continue to have that venue be the place where
| we have our athletes go then?
| thefounder wrote:
| Because the athlets train to be the best in the world so
| taking that from them is punishing.
| dnautics wrote:
| bump it up by a year and set it up in different country.
| pacoWebConsult wrote:
| Because the international olympic committee is quite
| possibly the most corrupt sporting organization on the
| planet, which is saying something when FIFA exists.
| outside1234 wrote:
| Amen
| ectopod wrote:
| World Athletics is up there too.
| ycombigator wrote:
| 'We have had a second videocall with Peng Shuai' levels
| of corruption.
| dnautics wrote:
| shouldn't there be guidance that no athelete that has ever
| made any kind of political statement on public or semi-public
| forums (facebook, twitter, tiktok, google plus) is unsafe?
| staticautomatic wrote:
| Much simpler to just put Winnie the Pooh on the outfits.
| StanislavPetrov wrote:
| I'm sure the Chinese will weep due to their absence.
| amir734jj wrote:
| I don't think it will have any sensible impact. I appreciate for
| taking steps.
|
| What Covid showed is it's a small world. If a country is not
| transparent and messing with things they don't fully understand
| and may have global consequences then it's not acceptable.
|
| I wish the world lives in peace and harmony instead of constantly
| trying to show who is the boss.
| investinyolo wrote:
| No, not the officials!
| bjourne wrote:
| Usually when people discuss boycotts of international sporting
| events there is always a contingent that objects with that you
| shouldn't mix sports and politics or that sporting competitions
| "build bridges". It appears no one believes that anymore? Perhaps
| no ever did and merely used it to excuse the boycott's target?
| Personally, I think that you indeed should mix sports and
| politics and that repressive countries like China, Israel, Saudi
| Arabia, Eritrea, etc, should be boycotted. Their leaders care
| about international prestige and boycotts robs them of that. So
| this is a good move by the US. Though more consistency in who the
| US condemns for human rights violations would be nice.
| pasabagi wrote:
| >consistency ... would be nice
|
| I'd say necessary. People will assume (correctly) that this is
| human rights being used as a stalking horse for realpolitik.
| Which is frankly worse for human rights than no action at all.
| tln750 wrote:
| US launched a multi-decade war using fake and fabricated evidence
| in which millions of innocent people who had nothing to do with
| 9/11 have been slaughtered and exterminated. Perhaps the world
| should boycott events in the US.
| nickdothutton wrote:
| In a world full of meaningless gestures, this stands out as
| particularly fatuous.
| dnautics wrote:
| hasn't china already said "no non-athletes at the olympics"
| nradov wrote:
| No foreign spectators will be allowed. However there will be
| many non-athletes in attendance including coaches, referees,
| sports federation officials, journalists, etc.
| mercy_dude wrote:
| These are pointless gestures politicians like to make to win the
| news coverage of the day. To make a real dent, remove China from
| WTO third world country status so it doesn't benefit from all the
| unfair trades.
| skywal_l wrote:
| So, according to this [0] although China is recognized as a
| developing country by the WTO it does not benefit from all the
| advantages that it would entail.
|
| [0] https://theconversation.com/myth-busted-chinas-status-as-
| a-d...
| bingohbangoh wrote:
| aren't they given different standards for climate change
| initiatives?
| Overtonwindow wrote:
| Diplomatically recognize Taiwan.
| AnimalMuppet wrote:
| For bonus points, as walrus01 said a couple weeks ago, call
| the mainland "Occupied West Taiwan".
| slickrick216 wrote:
| Better yet force the G7 all to do it.
| nradov wrote:
| It's impossible to force the G7 to do anything.
| mrlonglong wrote:
| I've been saying for years we need to do just that and sign a
| defence pact with them.
| jimt1234 wrote:
| Or, at the very least, direct gestures like this, pointless or
| otherwise, at the IOC.
| petre wrote:
| That will just add fuel to the belt and road initiative (what a
| silly name). There's no reason to screw up trade between
| nations, unless if one wants to create a climate favouring war.
|
| Recoognizing Taiwan would be an entirely different matter.
| Other states would follow suit. If the EU states and Japan
| would do it as well, then there's not much China can do about
| it except maybe start a war and attempt a Crimea style
| takeover, although it's not their style.
| bopbeepboop wrote:
| The climate favoring war is one in which the US slowly tears
| itself apart to appease sensibilities like this.
|
| I think an entire generation of failed Chinese appeasement is
| enough -- look at the damage it's done to the American
| working and middle classes!
| Iwan-Zotow wrote:
| Where they ever invited?
| Theodores wrote:
| I wonder about how well educated and how sharp thinking some
| people can be when reading the comments in this thread.
|
| With many technical topics on HN the wisdom of the crowd
| prevails. Facts get checked, sources get cited.
|
| But, with China all bets are off and all blinkers are on.
| Constructive dialogue goes out the window. Actual, indoctrinated
| xenophobia rears its ugly head.
|
| Nobody on here should be dancing to the tune provided by
| politicians and the media. We all have the internet and thinking
| minds. Every one of those Olympic events has genuine fans who
| want to see the greatest performances by the greatest athletes
| currently alive. Why politicise this and spoil their enjoyment?
| What does that achieve?
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