Australia is considering not sending any government officials to the Beijing Winter Games amid growing calls from lawmakers for an official diplomatic boycott, the Sydney Morning Herald said in a report yesterday.
Australian politicians from the ruling Liberal-National coalition and the opposition Labor Party are urging the federal government to boycott the February event, the newspaper reported without citing a source.
A diplomatic boycott would involve not sending a delegation of officials, but allowing athletes to participate.
Photo: Reuters
“A decision on [Australia’s] representation at the Beijing Winter Olympics is yet to be made,” a spokesperson for Australian Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck said in an e-mailed response.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not respond to a request seeking comment.
US President Joe Biden last week said the US is considering a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics, a move that would be aimed at protesting China’s human rights record, including what Washington says is genocide against Uighurs.
Britain has not yet made any decision on who would represent its government at the Olympics, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not support the idea of boycotts, his spokesman said earlier this week.
The Australian government is awaiting the decision by the Biden administration before it makes a call on a diplomatic boycott, the Sydney Morning Herald report said.
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