Beijing Olympics: China's human rights record takes center stage

 

When Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai disappeared after accusing a high ranking communist official of sexual assault, the international outrage threw the Beijing Winter Games into upheaval. On Dec. 6, the White House announced that no U.S. government officials, including President Biden, will attend

WTA Suspends Tournaments In China Over Peng Shuai

 The Women's Tennis Association has announced the suspension of its tournaments in China over concern for the well being of Peng Shuai a former world doubles number 1.    Peng Shuai in early November posted a message on Weibo (China's Twitter) accusing a former vice premier of sexually abusing her.  Her post was quickly removed and all mentions of Peng Shuai and her accusations were censored by the government.   After several posts from Chinese state media were released as means of quelling the controversy the WTA, other tennis players, the media and world governments  questioned the authenticity of the posts as looked they looked completely contrived. 

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced the suspension of all tournaments in China amid concerns about the safety of the Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, following weeks of a high-profile row with Beijing over the player’s wellbeing.

“With the full support of the WTA Board of Directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong,” said the WTA chairman, Steve Simon, announcing the decision in a statement on Wednesday.

“In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault. Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.”

Early last month , 35-year-old Peng, a former doubles world No 1, used a post on Chinese social media website, Weibo to accuse 75-year-old Zhang Gaoli, a former Chinese vice-premier, of having coerced her into sex . Her lengthy post was quickly deleted by the censors, and Peng disappeared from public for more than two weeks as the WTA and colleagues said they were unable to reach her.

Too bad the NBA, FIFA, The IOC and the Premier League can't find the courage to stand up to the bullying of the Chinese government. 

Peng Shuai backlash leaves IOC facing familiar criticism over human rights

 The IOC isn't concerned with human rights or the health and welfare of a hosting nations citizens.  When the Summer Olympics were awarded to Beijing for 2008 the IOC assured the world that the CCP would adhere to human rights norms they didn't.  Any citizen that complained was jailed, whole neighbours were destroyed and business were forced to shut in the name of improving the IOC profits.  The Rio and Sochi Olympics were just corruption run a muck.  And then, came the pandemic of 2020 and postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.   As the IOC's only interest is the continuation of its profit streams the Japanese government at the height of that nations coronavirus epidemic and with the complete lack of support from the citizens couldn't cancel the games.  As the signed contract only allowed the IOC to do that.  With revenue on the line the IOC was never going cancel the games.    

With the Beijing Winter Games in peril the IOC decided that playing the useful propaganda idiot for the Chinese government was the best way of the impending disaster they found themselves in. 

Analysis: Olympic committee is accused of engaging in a ‘publicity stunt’ by taking part in video call

As human rights organisations and the world’s media questioned the whereabouts of the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, the International Olympic Committee opted for a “quiet diplomacy” approach, arguing that was the most effective way to deal with such a case.

“Experience shows that quiet diplomacy offers the best opportunity to find a solution for questions of such nature. This explains why the IOC will not comment any further at this stage,” the Lausanne-based organisation said in an emailed statement on Thursday about the case of Peng, who disappeared from public view after she made an accusation of sexual assault against a former senior Chinese official.

Yet the IOC’s approach to the Peng saga, which resulted in a half-hour-long video call between its president, Thomas Bach, and the player on Sunday, appeared to have failed to ease concerns. Instead, the committee was accused by rights activists of engaging in a “publicity stunt” for Beijing.

China's Biggest Scandal Could Change Everything

 

China's tennis player Peng Shuai just made a post on Weibo aimed at taking down one of the biggest CCP officials, Zhang Gaoli, with allegations abuse and affairs. This wouldn't be the biggest deal in the world in other countries, but in China, this can change everything.