By: Victoria Djou
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics brought many inspiring stories: Nathan Chen gained redemption winning gold in the men’s figure skating singles; Chloe Kim defended her halfpipe gold; Erin Jackson became the first black woman to win gold in speed skating. In China, viewership of the Olympics reached an all time high, with nearly 600 million people closely following the games.
However, for many others, abuses of power by Russia and China marred the beauty of this year’s Winter Olympics. In contrast to soaring Chinese viewership, an all-time low of 11 million Americans followed the Olympics this winter. A dark shadow has hovered around the games since allegations of concentration camps and human rights abuses against ethnic Tibetans and Uyghers were brought to light on the international stage. In December of 2021, the U.S. and Canada stood against China’s abuses with their diplomatic boycott of the Olympics. However, the move was largely symbolic, and one that should not have had to take place; authoritarian dictatorships should never hold the Olympics.
As a unifying force for the world, the host country should not espouse ideals that threaten other countries’ sovereignty. In the past, Nazi Germany and Russia both used the Olympics not for the good of the world, but rather for selfish self-promotion before invading another country. In 1936, the Berlin Olympics served as a propaganda mouthpiece for the odious Nazi regime immediately preceding Germany’s invasion of Poland. In 2014, the Sochi Olympics served again as a display of strength before Russia invaded Crimea. This year, China collaborated with Russia. Russia then launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine merely five days after the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Will Taiwan be next?
Given the attention that the Olympics receive, countries that respect fundamental norms of international sovereignty should hold the games. Countries known to disrupt the international order in violent ways have no place hosting a peaceful gathering of other countries. China demonstrated its willingness to encroach on freedom, use force when necessary, and violate international norms even before it was given the Olympics in 2015. Since then, China’s aggression has only increased with conflicts in the South China Sea and the forceful seizure of Hong Kong.
The Olympics should be an international tournament for peace. Sadly, the games are too often misused as a tool for dictators to glorify their power. This autocratic manipulation of the Olympics undermines the core credibility of the games.
The 2022 Winter Olympics was the least watched Olympics of the modern era with good reason. The public simply does not want to watch or afford credibility to dictatorship spectacles. The International Olympic Committee can restore public trust in their institution, both in the US and around the world, only by refusing to place games in authoritarian nations.
The Olympics have long been a global event for inspiring athletic talent to promote international cooperation. But this standard will not endure as dictatorships increasingly use and abuse the Olympics for brutal trans-national power grabs. The time has come for the International Olympic Committee to adopt a new policy against locating humanity’s global games in any authoritarian dictatorship.
