Athletes due to take part in next month’s Beijing Olympics have been cautioned against criticising China’s human rights abuses.
According to Reuters, director-general of the Global Athlete group, Rob Koehler, said in a seminar hosted by Human Rights Watch that he believed athletes would not be afforded much protection if they spoke out about issues such as the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups.
Therefore, he added, ‘… we’re advising athletes not to speak up. We want them to compete and use their voice when they get home’.
Deputy director of international relations for the Beijing Organising Committee, Yang Shu, said in a press conference: ‘Any expression that is in line with the Olympic spirit I’m sure will be protected’.
She added that athletes would be subject to certain punishment should their behaviour or speech not be in line with Chinese laws and regulations.
The emphasis on ‘speech’ regulations has caused concern among athletes given that China’s laws on free speech are more restrictive than most.
Lack of personal data security has also caused concern following a report by Canadian cybersecurity research group, Citizen Lab, that the health-tracking phone app Olympic attendees are required to download has security flaws that may leave athletes’ personal data vulnerable. Furthermore, the app has a feature allowing users to report speech deemed ‘politically insensitive’.
The International Olympic Committee’s decision to award the Games to China has been criticised by numerous rights groups and some countries including the US, Britain, Japan, and Australia have announced diplomatic boycotts of the Games, citing China’s human rights record as their reason for doing so.
[Image: https://olympics.com/ioc/news/posters-of-beijing-2022-olympic-and-paralympic-games-unveiled]