Following the example of the United States, Australia will not send any government officials to the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday a boycott of the sports holiday, which will take place from February 4 to 20, 2022.
However, the reason for the boycott, which does not prevent the participation of athletes, is human rights violations in China. “We are a big sports nation, but sport and politics are two different things and I always try to see them separately,” Morrison said.
China has been facing long-standing criticism for human rights violations. Two days ago in connection with the boycott of the games, US officials said they considered the actions of its government against the Uighurs and members of other predominantly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region in the west of the country to be genocide and crimes against humanity.
A number of human rights organizations have also called for a complete boycott of the Beijing Games.
