Boycott Beijing Games
Imagine just for a second if one of Taiwan’s recent Olympic heroes had taken the podium to receive their hard-earned medal only to see the feed cut and go to black because Chinese censors had decided that this reality is damaging to Chinese unity.
Imagine an even worse scenario, where the feed is not cut, but our heroes are greeted with the Chinese national anthem as a reward for their victory.
Take a minute to reimagine the heroic demonstration of sportsmanship that is now the classic battle between Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) and Chen Yufei (陳雨菲), but this time with ravenous applause at every point for Chen and deafening silence for Tai.
Athletes, like soldiers, rarely balk at an opportunity to face a challenge. Without that drive, they would not have become world class competitors, but, like soldiers, the entire country has a responsibility to carefully consider if athletes are being sent into an unwinnable situation.
I humbly suggest that attending the 2022 Beijing Games presents more risk than reward, and that just participating legitimizes China and Xi’s recent bellicosity. I’ll be doing my part by keeping the TV off.
Aaron andrews
Taichung
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