Beijing Has No Plans To Invite To Olympics US Politicians Calling For Boycott - Reports

Beijing does not intend to invite to the 2022 Olympics Western politicians that call for a diplomatic boycott of the Games, China's Global Times newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2021) Beijing does not intend to invite to the 2022 Olympics Western politicians that call for a diplomatic boycott of the Games, China's Global Times newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in mid-November that he was pondering boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics over the alleged human rights violations in China, according to the Times. US President Joe Biden also said he could not rule out the possibility of a diplomatic boycott of the Games.

The Global Times noted that it learned that Beijing had never planned to invite "US and Western politicians who hype the boycott topic" to attend the Olympics.

During a Monday briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin criticized the politicization of sports and stressed that it was an event for athletes, not politicians. Wang further condemned Washington's rhetoric as going against the spirit of the Olympic Charter and affirmed Beijing's commitment to holding safe and great Games.

Moreover, under the Olympic rules, government officials should be invited first by their countries' Olympic committees, and the invitation should then be approved by the International Olympic Committee, the spokesperson added.

The Winter Olympics in Beijing are scheduled from February 4-20, 2022.