Amid worsening Sino-American relations, Ned Price, the United States (US) State Department spokesperson, stoked a fresh controversy on Tuesday (April 6), saying his country would discuss a joint boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in China with its allies and partners.

What is the reason behind the US’ call to boycott the Beijing Olympics?

The move to boycott Beijing Olympics, according to Ned, is being considered ‘because of Beijing’s repression of minorities and other human rights abuses’. “It (boycott) is something that we certainly wish to discuss,” said Ned.

The statement by Ned comes in the wake of reports claiming that the Chinese government has reportedly detained more than a million Uyghur Muslims in “reeducation” camps in its Xinjiang province.

However, the US State Department, within hours of Ned’s statement, dismissed any such proposed move. In a clarification, the department said, “Our position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed. We have not discussed and are not discussing any joint boycott with allies and partners.”

Why is the ‘boycott call’ gaining international attention?

Political observers have started reading between the lines and are skeptical of Washington’s denial. They feel that if the relations between the two superpowers continue to go downhill, the US may back out from Beijing Winter Olympics and also persuade its allies and partners to follow suit.

The latest controversy also assumes significance as it comes just a few weeks after the Chinese and United States officials engaged in an acrimonious public exchange in Alaska.

Has there been a boycott in Olympics history?

It is worth mentioning that if the US chooses to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, it won’t be the country’s first such move. Back in 1980, the US and its allies had refused to participate in Summer Olympics in Moscow in the wake of the Soviet Union invading Afghanistan. Later in 1984, the Soviet Union retaliated by boycotting the Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles with fourteen of its allies.

A similar move was made by North Korea and its partners — Cuba, Ethiopia, Albania, and Seychelles — when the nations jointly boycotted the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea. Recently, North Korea also dropped out of Tokyo Olympic Games because of ‘coronavirus concerns’.

Another such famous joint boycott was led by Tanzania in 1976. The African nation convinced 22 other countries of the continent to boycott Summer Olympics in Canada as they did not bar New Zealand, whose rugby team had just got involved in an apartheid controversy during its South Africa tour.