High-profile scandals involving China: Olympic boycott and missing tennis player
The Beijing Olympics are due to take place in 2022. It will begin on February 4 and run until the 20th of that month. For half a year, China has been the subject of much coverage on the near-sports agenda. A conflict involving the NBA came to light. Later, the WTA announced that tournaments in the country would be suspended. It is worth taking a closer look at the high-profile events of the past year in which China was involved.
NBA story
On October 20, 2021, Enes Kanter wore a jersey featuring the Dalai Lama. He made a video in which he criticised the Chinese government. In doing so, he did not forget to personally hit Xi Jinping, who is China’s secretary-general. The video went viral on social media.
The basketball player asked the Chinese government to listen to his words. The sportsman said that Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people and China has no rights over it. Enes said that the basic rights of people in the region are not respected. This is contributing to the destruction of the local culture, which has been developed over centuries. Kanter demanded that Tibet should be given freedom.
The basketball player then wore trainers that read “Free Tibet” to the match. The cameramen showed the shoes close-up, and in China the broadcast was interrupted by local rights holders. American basketball was then not shown on Chinese television for more than a year.
WTA and PRC.
Peng Shuai published a post on her social media in which she accused the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Ch. Gaoli of rape. She noted that the man first attacked her 10 years ago. They did not see each other for a long time afterwards. Years later, the man invited the tennis player to have dinner with him and his wife. Another rape took place on the same day.
This post was available for half an hour, after which Shuai’s account disappeared. Moreover, even she stopped getting in touch. After a while, the woman said that she did not write the post and did not blame anyone. She said a misunderstanding was to blame, but for now the case cannot be considered closed.
China and America
In early December 2021, America decided to boycott the 2022 Olympics. Officials from this state will not attend the games. This is due to the genocide as well as crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. However, the boycott will not affect the interests of US athletes. They will still go to China to participate in the Olympics.
The diplomatic boycott has been brought about by, among other things, the P. Shuai scandal. America was supported by Britain, Australia and Canada. Putin said the decision to boycott the games was wrong and unacceptable. He said it had to do with an attempt to slow down China’s development. There are no other motives.
Because of this news, many countries will be watching closely the events that will take place during the games in Beijing. It is likely that accusations against the Chinese government will be made again soon. It is likely that there will be calls to cancel the Olympics.