Friday, February 4, will mark the beginning of the Winter Olympic Games hosted by China in Beijing. Not even a full year removed from the Olympics held in Tokyo in 2021, there are still many questions surrounding the event. Among those questions, the one which interests people like us the most is that of the possibility of a boycott from the athletes and countries that will be participating.

   Some may be wondering, “Boycott? Why boycott?” The answer to that question is pretty clear. China’s human rights record has not been great lately, to say the least. From the abuse of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region, to suppressing protests in Hong Kong, and most recently, the brief disappearance of Peng Shuai, a professional tennis player, after she came out and accused a former top government official of sexual assault. China has known no limits to their actions (nytimes.com).

   Another massive global sporting event finds itself in similar controversy, the 2022 World Cup set to be held in Qatar this winter has seen even larger backlash from the public than Beijing’s Games. In addition to the mistreatment of migrant workers, the fact that homosexuality is criminalized is at the center of the calls for boycott. Qataris have reported being surveilled, harassed, arrested, and interrogated on account of suspicion of being homosexual or engaging in “homosexual activity” (news.sky.com).

   Now you may be beginning to understand what’s at stake here. How did the two largest sporting events on the planet (The Olympics and the World Cup) end up being hosted consecutively in countries which have treated their people so poorly? 

   With numerous activists calling for action from athletes and countries alike, some small actions have been taken. Several countries have already announced a “diplomatic boycott” of the Olympics, which consists of government officials skipping the event. The United States as well as Australia, Great Britain, and Canada, are among the countries which have decided to take this course of action.

   But less has been done about the World Cup. The only action taken so far, according to Al Jazeera News, was by the Norwegian National Team, which wore shirts and held signs in protest of the event prior to a few of their qualifying matches. Unfortunately, their push to boycott the event was denied by the Norwegian Football Association (aljazeera.com).

   Senior Todd Reddish said, “It’s pretty sad to see how everyone is okay with supporting these countries even after everything which they have done. They need to be more strict in the future about how the hosts for these events are chosen, even now I feel like there is still time for something to be done.”

   By sitting around and doing nothing we are enabling these countries and their actions. Rather than working to help resolve the problems they create for their people, we are aiding the regimes which put them in that situation in the first place. Being a massive fan of sport, and loving watching these events, we want to enjoy them, yet there are things that are much bigger than the games we play for entertainment. At the end of the day, that’s all it really is, entertainment. When people’s lives are at stake, their basic human rights, we must stay focused and take action on what really matters in life, human rights.