Australian Government joins diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has today advised that the nation will join the USA in not having government ministers or officials attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, in a formal boycott of the Games over China's human rights abuses against Uyghur minorities in the country.

While the move will not affect Australian athletes competing at the Games, Prime Minister Morrison today advised that it should come as "no surprise" that Australian diplomats and politicians would boycott the event, citing the breakdown in the relationship with China in recent years.

Speaking this morning, he advised "I'm doing it because it's in Australia's national interest … it's the right thing to do."

Prime Minister Morrison said the Chinese Government's own diplomatic freeze on Australia had also fed into the decision for officials to boycott the Games, because Australia had been unable to raise its concerns about human rights directly with Chinese leaders.

He added "we have been ... very happy to talk to the Chinese Government about these issues and there has been no obstacle to that occurring on our side … but the Chinese Government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet about those issues.

"So it's not surprising therefore that Australian government officials would not be going to China for those Games."

In response, the Chinese embassy in Canberra released a statement advising "Australia's success at the Beijing Winter Olympics depends on the performance of Australian athletes, not on the attendance of Australian officials, and the political posturing by some Australian politicians.”

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), which expects to send around 40 athletes to the Olympics, said the decision was a "matter for government" and that athletes were focussed on competing at the Games.

AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll noted “getting the athletes to Beijing safely, competing safely and bringing them home safely remains our greatest challenge.

"Our Australian athletes have been training and competing with this Olympic dream for four years now and we are doing everything in our power to ensure we can help them succeed.

"Human rights are extremely important, but the considered view of diplomats is that keeping channels of communication open is far more impactful than shutting them down."

The New Zealand Government has already said it will not send any officials to the Games, although it hasn't linked that decision to human rights issues.

The Winter Olympics runs over 16 days, from 4th to 20th February, with the Chinese capital becoming the first city to have hosted both summer and winter editions after also staging the Beijing 2008 Summer Games.

Images: Beijing 2020 mascot Bing Dwen Dwen (top) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (below).