Sports play a significant part in almost everyone’s life one way or another, and it’s every athletes’ dream to go the Olympics. The Olympics is a chance to unify the world to compete in a series of sport events, trying to determine who is the best in the world in that sport even while the participant gets to represent their country. Olympians spend their life training for that special day, whether in Winter sports or Summer sports, where they can show off to the world what talent they have in store. Even though it’s revolved around sports, since it’s internationally broadcasted, you can cause significant change by using your country’s voice for an important cause. Right now, President Joe Biden is thinking about a ‘diplomatic boycott’ of the 2022 Olympics, which is held in Beijing, because of the human right abuses the Chinese government is imposing on the Uyghur population. The Uyghur population is a minority, Muslim based, group in western China. While this is a strong option right now, is that enough to make a statement to the Chinese Government?

If Biden does go on with this idea of a diplomatic or a full on boycott, it could have a bunch of negative effects with the relationship between China and the USA. China already has high tensions with America from Biden’s statement saying the U.S. will defend the independent country of Taiwan. This could affect a variety of different things, including trades and exports with China.

Even though there will be negative consequences for the U.S. and China, the human right abuses in China against the Uyghur people outweigh any negative effects.

Former senior graduate from Great Bend High School, Malachi Smith, compared what’s happening in China to “WWII.” Smith continued to say the abuses in China are “a disgusting act of terrorism and genocide, and nobody wants to speak about it.” According to Smith, the solution for this is “the USA and other countries pullout of the 2022 Olympics as long as it’s being held in China.”

For some people, this sounds absurd, but a boycott of the Olympics has happened in the past. The first boycott started in 1956, where seven countries boycotted the Olympics due to a variety of reasons. Since 1956, thehave re has been five separate Olympics where a country/countries have boycotted the Olympics, all for social issues. The U.S. specifically boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow due to the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan. To learn more about the 6 Olympic boycotts, visit this link.

Smith added on later that “it is sad to think that we (the USA) have to even consider whether to support a country that’s so blatantly against core values of equality and free will.”

With Biden still considering he is going to have a diplomatic boycott, he should be considering not sending any athletes to the Beijing Winter Olympics this year.