A general view of the cross-country national center during the 2021/2022 Northern European FIS Continent, part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games pilot event in Zhangjiakou, China. December 5, 2021
Wang Zhao | AFP | beautiful pictures
The Biden administration is expected to announce a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing this week, a senior administration official told NBC News late Sunday.
A diplomatic boycott means no US government officials will attend the games, but US athletes will still be allowed to compete.
A boycott was completely unanticipated.
CNN first reported on the expected announcement.
The Biden administration has come under pressure from lawmakers to launch a diplomatic boycott. They want to take a stand against China’s human rights abuses.
President Biden told NBC News last month that the administration consider moving.
China has been criticized for suppressing pro-democracy protests in China Hong Kong, because of its policies towards Tibet and Taiwan, as well as for detention and abuse Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang.
The State Department, along with several European counties, has classed China’s actions against the Uighurs as “genocide. “
“We have serious concerns about the human rights abuses we’ve seen,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last month.
Chinese government officials have warned of a “China’s strong response“if the United States or other countries launch a boycott.
Disclosure: CNBC’s parent company NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the owner of the US broadcasting rights to all Summer and Winter Olympics through 2032.
