The United States will not send officials to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Psaki confirmed reports of a diplomatic boycott as tensions ramp up between the U.S. and China.
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“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics given the [People’s Republic of China’s] ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,” she told reporters Monday.
While the athletes competing will have the White House’s “full support,” President Joe Biden and his administration said they believe they should not contribute to “the fanfare.”
“I don’t think we felt it was the right step to penalize athletes,” she said when asked why officials decided to let athletes take part in the event.
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The decision was not a surprise, particularly after Psaki last month commented on then-missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.
“We know the PRC has zero tolerance for criticism and a record of silencing those that speak out,” Psaki said. “We continue to condemn those practices.”
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Peng, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion, was not seen for two weeks after she accused China’s former vice premier of sexual assault.
