Rep. Chris Smith, co-chair of a bipartisan House commission on human rights, kicked off a hearing on the 2022 Olympics in Beijing by calling for a worldwide boycott of the games.
“In granting Beijing host status for the Olympic games, we are crowning a barbarous regime with laurels while we should be condemning their abuse and genocide,” said Smith, R-4th Dist. “Don’t enable or sponsor the ‘Genocide Olympics.’”
Smith and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., co-chair the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, named for the late California Democratic representative and Holocaust survivor. Their hearing Tuesday focused on holding the Olympics in a country that has cracked down on protesters in Hong Kong demanding freedom, and, according to reports, has moved more than a million Uyghurs, a Muslim minority, into re-education camps in an attempt to end their traditions and language.
The U.S State Department has described China’s actions regarding the Uyghurs as “genocide.”
“In light of what is now known — and in solidarity with the oppressed and not the oppressor — I urge the IOC and all interested parties including the United States to find a new host city — or boycott,” Smith said.
He added that “despite this deplorable record ... we see the International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and a host of major corporate sponsors all affirming the decision to hold the 2022 Winter Olympic games in Beijing.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., testifying at the hearing, said the proper response would be for government officials, not athletes, to boycott the Olympics. Instead of cheering their teams in China, officials should wait until they returned home to celebrate.
“We cannot proceed as if nothing is wrong about the Olympics going to China,” she said. “Let’s not honor the Chinese government by having heads of states go to China to show support for their athletes. Honor them when they come home.”
The U.S. Olympic committee said in a statement that a boycott was not the proper solution.
“We oppose games boycotts because they have been shown to negatively impact athletes while not effectively addressing global issues. We believe the more effective course of action is for the governments of the world and China to engage directly on human rights and geopolitical issues.”
In a letter to Congress last week, Sarah Hirshland, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said the Olympic committee “does not condone actions that undermine the core values of the Olympic movement — values that include diversity, peace, and respect for human dignity,” Hirshland wrote.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a chance for the United States to showcase the values that make our country strong and respected: Our belief in fair competition, our commitment to the dignity of all people, and our support of the hard work and lifelong commitment of athletes from every state in the nation,” she wrote.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.
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