Beijing Winter Olympics face boycott after Peng Shuai episode
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2022 Winter Olympics is scheduled to start on February 4 in Beijing.
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is under threat as pressures mount up on China in the wake of the country’s tennis star Peng Shuai’s unknown whereabouts since she accused the former Vice Premier of China, Zhang Gaoli, of forcing her to have sex, even when she had refused repeatedly. International Olympics Committee’s (IOC) lukewarm response has also made the matter critical for the Games.
Since coronavirus disrupted regular life across the world, China has been under the scanner. There are speculations that the deadly virus was originated at a Chinese lab in Wuhan to disrupt the global political order. Because of the same reason western powers, including the United States, one of the worst affected countries, are considering boycotting the upcoming Winter Olympics, scheduled for February 4 start. Human rights violations of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province of China is another serious issue that has kept Beijing under the radar of human rights watchdogs.
Where is Peng Shuai?
Now just months before the Games, two-time grand slam champion Peng Shuai’s disappearance after making an allegation of sexual harassment against a former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) politburo member made the case delicate for the Beijing 2022.
The former world No. 1 women’s doubles player’s disappearance has already received a vehement protest from the US-headquartered Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). WTA CEO Steve Simon has urged the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) to immediately investigate Peng’s accusation of sexual harassment against Zhang.
At the beginning of the month, Peng had issued a statement on Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, accusing Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex, even when she had refused repeatedly. The post was quickly deleted by the platform and her account was made unsearchable for others. Since then Peng Shuai’s location has never been disclosed even though IOC’s chief Thomas Bach spoke to her in a video call and Peng said that she is fine.
Though IOC, the patron of the Olympic Games, after facing widespread criticism entered the grimy water, it failed to win the confidence of the sports world. Peng is the first big name to make an allegation of sexual harassment against a powerful politician in China’s #MeTooMovement. Sexual harassment at the workplace is common in China, but previous allegations were handled with an iron fist. Like previous cases, it is no brainer that the Chinese authorities will do everything to hide the scandal from the rest of the world. But as Peng is a star athlete, CCP officials in Beijing are facing a mountainous challenge in tackling global criticism.
WTA ups its ante against China
With WTA taking a strong stance letting go billions of dollars giving away tournaments in China in a bid to safeguard the human rights of its athlete, the entire tennis fraternity threw its weight behind the women’s tennis body. #WhereIsPengShuai was trended on social media as people all over the world have been asking for her whereabouts and whether she is able to speak freely — including the Biden administration, United Nations, WTA, and tennis stars like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Noami Osaka.
On Wednesday, under pressure, China’s state-run CCTV released what it said was a statement from Peng, but its contents were less than convincing and included an accusation that the WTA published information about her allegations without her confirmation and that they were untrue.
“We have seen the latest reports and are encouraged by assurances that she is safe,” the IOC said in a statement on Thursday, drawing criticism.
Joe Biden joins the chorus
The recent developments of human rights abuses have contributed to ongoing pressure for the United States to boycott Beijing 2022. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he was considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, where political officials would not attend, amid abuses against the Uyghur community and the free speech crackdown in Hong Kong.
According to The New York Times, about 180 human rights organizations and members of Congress have approached the US to use the Olympics to hold China accountable, but some question the efficacy of only withholding government delegations while still allowing athletes to compete.
“Whether we want it or not, the Olympics in Beijing are going to happen,” said international human rights lawyer Frédéric Mégre to the New York Times. “The question is: Do you want to give the Chinese government photo ops?”
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee would have to sign off on any full boycott of the Games, as it did for the 1980 Moscow Games. On Thursday, the USOPC wrote to Congress saying that a boycott does not solve any geopolitical issues and only causes uncertainty for athletes.
As global pressure mounts up for a massive boycott of the Games, China faces a critical situation which they need to address through the diplomatic channel. Otherwise, a US-led boycott on the upcoming Winter Olympics is likely.
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Sudipta Biswas
(18 Articles Published)