US wants to talk about boycotting the China Winter Games | sport

Human rights organizations have called for a boycott of the Games in China because human rights are violated there. This mainly concerns the oppression of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region. A spokesperson for the ministry did not want to confirm whether there are already discussions: “But coordinated action would not only be in our interest, but also in the interest of our partners.”

“It will be some time before the Games start in Beijing. I don’t want to attach a timetable to it, but the discussions have started, ”the spokesperson said. Earlier, a senior official from the same ministry said there were no talks with other countries yet. “Our position on the Games has not changed. No boycott was discussed with allies and partners. “

The United States accuses China of violating human rights. An alliance of 180 international human rights organizations called for a boycott in February. “Everything else is seen as supporting the authoritarian regime and the Chinese Communist Party’s open disregard for civil and human rights,” the call said.

The IOC, through its president Thomas Bach, did not call the boycott the right way to expose the problems.

Lie of the century

Meanwhile, China has sharply criticized US suggestions for a possible boycott. “Political interference in sport is against the Olympic charter and harms the interests of all athletes and the Olympic movement,” a Chinese government spokesperson said. He called the allegations of “so-called genocide” by the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang “a lie of the century.”