Beijing 2022 has officially begun. The protests against it – and the People’s Republic of China – will continue, the arguments will rage on, and the sport itself is sure to be compelling. Thanks for reading today and see you soon for more.
Updated
“Many people are choosing not to watch the Beijing Olympics and have made the #IWillNotWatch pledge due to severe and systematic human rights abuses committed by the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang (where genocide and crimes against humanity are alleged) and China proper,” writes Brian on email.
“My kids and I love to watch the Olympics, so it is with sadness we made this pledge. We are from Hong Kong and managed to get out, but many of our friends and hundreds of other political prisoners are in prison there as I write. It would sicken me to enjoy watching the Olympics while they are left to rot in their cells for no other crime than advocating for their basic human rights. I hope the IOC changes its ways and no longer allows dictatorships to host the Games (this goes for FIFA too: no more Qatars!).”
