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A32 sports
Diaranson 10 november 2021

Beijing Olympics get ‘gold for repression’ in labor report

(AP) - A global trade ... Such behavior fails to up-
union body has joined a hold the IOC’s own Olym-
long list of human-rights pic Charter, in which Rule 48
advocates in challenging requires the committee take
the propriety of China ‘all necessary steps in order
holding the 2022 Winter to ensure the fullest coverage
Olympics, and has sin- by the different media and
gled out the International the widest possible audience
Olympic Committee for in the world for the Games.’”
acquiescing in the face The United States govern-
of alleged genocide and ment responded to the state-
crimes against humanity ment.
reportedly taking place in
the host country. ’“We urge PRC officials not
to limit freedom of move-
The Belgium-based Interna- ment and access for journal-
tional Trade Union Confed- ists, and to ensure that they
eration issued its report Tues- remain safe and able to re-
day — “China: A gold medal port freely, including at the
for repression” — highlight- Olympic and the Paralympic
ing human rights violations. Games,” State Department
It said a copy has been sent spokesman Nick Price said in
to IOC President Thomas a scheduled briefing.
Bach. who really ought to live up to strong ally of Bach. ternment of at least 1 million
values that they say they re- “John always puts the Olym- Muslim Uyghurs and other Several U.S. senators led by
The alleged abuses include: spect, which is fundamental pics before the issue of hu- ethnic minorities in western former presidential candidate
forced labor, jailing of trade human rights.” man rights,” Burrow said. China. Mitt Romney have proposed
unionists and democracy “But we would hope that a diplomatic boycott by the
defenders in Hong Kong, Some of the largest sponsors people like John and many Kanter, a Muslim with roots United States that would al-
intimidation of the nation’s who collectively pay billions others around the world who in Turkey, has called Chinese low U.S. athletes to attend
LBGTI community, and re- to the IOC include house- live in democratic countries leader Xi Jinping a “brutal but not U.S. government
pression of ethnic and reli- hold names like Coca-Cola, would understand that it’s dictator” and criticized hu- employees.
gious minorities under the Airbnb, Visa, Toyota, Alibaba, not acceptable simply to treat man rights across a large
pretext of ”anti-separatism and Proctor & Gamble. China as just another nation. swath of China. Even without a boycott,
and counterterrorism.” ... China can’t just operate in COVID-19 restrictions will
The ITUC report comes just the global economy without Celtic games were subse- severely limit who enters
“We’re trying to get the IOC under three months before answering to the crimes they quently blacked out in Chi- China.
to act on a basic set of prin- the Olympics open on Feb. commit. People matter. Peo- na, a blow to the NBA which
ciples around human rights,” 4. There have been repeated ple have rights.” derives millions in income Faced with criticism for hold-
Sharan Burrow, the general calls for boycotts, with spon- from China. ing the Games in China, the
secretary of the ITUC, told sors and broadcasters tar- Previous overtures from ac- IOC says that it’s only busi-
the Associated Press in an in- geted, and demands for the tivists have been met with Using the pandemic as the ness is sports — not politics.
terview. IOC to move the Games out mostly silence from the IOC rationale, organizers and the The IOC has an observer seat
of China. Protesters were and Chinese organizers who IOC plan to implement a at the United Nations.
“We want governments to also detained at a torch light- are currently holding test zero-tolerance COVID-19
take a stand in defense of ing ceremony last month in events for the Games. policy that will also stifle un- IOC President Bach touted
their own athletes’ safety, and Greece. fettered media access during his efforts to bring the two
we want sponsors to actually Enes Kanter, a center with the Olympics. Koreas together during 2018
review their association with Burrow, who grew up in Aus- the NBA’s Boston Celtics, Winter Olympics in Py-
the Beijing Winter Olym- tralia, referenced the position has been one of the few ath- Participants in Beijing will eongchang, South Korea.
pics,” she added. “You’ve got of fellow Australian John letes to speak up about hu- have to be vaccinated to en- Earlier this year he visited Hi-
major companies who are Coates, the influential vice man rights violations in Chi- ter — or quarantine for 21 roshima, using the bombed
supporting these Olympics president of the IOC and a na, the Olympics, and the in- days — and be subject to city to link the IOC to global
daily testing. Journalists will peace. His supporters often
be enclosed in a “closed loop” talk of Bach as a candidate for
that will limit movement. the Nobel Prize.
The measures will be more
stringent than protocols for Bach has said the Olympics
the just-completed Tokyo have to be “neutral ground”
Olympics, which allowed although the Olympic Char-
for free movement across the ter also says the goal is to pro-
country after a 14-day quar- mote a “peaceful society con-
antine period. cerned with the preservation
of human dignity.”
Last week, the Foreign Cor-
respondents Club of China in Promises of largely unfet-
Beijing published a 31-point tered access were granted
list of concerns about media grudgingly by China for the
access for the Games. 2008 Summer Olympics in
Beijing, under pressure from
“Over the last year, the for- the IOC. It’s 180-degrees
eign press corps has been different this time.
continuously stymied in its
coverage of Winter Olympic “In 2022, it (China) does not
Games preparations, denied really care about what the rest
attendance at routine events, of the world thinks about it,”
and prevented from visit- Chinese sports historian Xu
ing sports venues in China. Guoqi told AP in a recent in-
terview.