Tensions are at an all-time high between the nations of the world, and that hostility has seeped into the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Set against a backdrop of political turmoil and uncertainty, it seems that 2022’s Winter Olympics are turning out to be a political battleground. Major politicians, activists, and human rights groups have advocated for a boycott of the Winter Olympics this year, with countries like France, Canada, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the United States, and more participating, all trying to put pressure on the People’s Republic of China to hold them accountable for their actions.

A clear message is being sent, with democratic nations using the games as a chance to draw a line in the sand, showing what they will and will not tolerate. China has faced a multitude of accusations regarding the violation of human rights, most notably being the genocide of the Uyghur Muslims (allegations which China denies), as well as the disappearance of Peng Shuai (a notable tennis star and public figure) after sharing allegations of sexual assault about an ex-high-ranking official of China’s Communist Party. The growing rift between authoritarian and democratic states (namely between China and the United States) has been a cause of worry for citizens of both countries.

So what does it mean for a country to boycott the Olympics? In this case, most of the countries that are choosing to participate in the boycott are engaging in a diplomatic boycott, where the nations will not send any diplomatic representation but will still send athletes. New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, and other countries have opted to not send any diplomats as well but stated the pandemic as the primary reason. 

While it might be a nice sentiment, the actual effectiveness of the diplomatic boycott will most likely fall flat and only serve to stoke the flames of anger and distrust between China and the United States. The boycott has barely garnered the attention that the United States was probably hoping for, and only nine other nations have joined in as of now (compared to the full boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 with 65 countries participating, also led by the United States).  China has already told the United States that if they choose to boycott the Beijing Olympics, they will be met with countermeasures, as well as any other nation that chooses to boycott. 

Whether or not the boycott is a good idea for nations to be involved in or not is hard to determine; but, in the case of the Beijing Olympics, it seems like it doesn’t have much potential. Politicization of the Olympics is nothing new, and not sending delegates to the Games will hardly be a devastating blow to either party. The line between being complicit in the actions of a foreign nation by staying silent on matters of importance and agitating an already tenuous relationship with an authoritarian state is a difficult line to toe; but, if the purpose of the boycott was to put international pressure on the People’s Republic of China in order to stop its persecution of the Uyghur population, it’s probably safe to say that it will be a failure.