An open letter to our dearest Canadian athletes:
We, the Halifax-Hong Kong Link, are writing today to express our concerns about the Beijing Winter Games in 2022 and ask you to reflect on what you can do.
There is currently a growing debate over whether Canada should boycott the Winter Olympics that will be held next February, citing concerns over the massive humanitarian crisis in China.
Our concerns stem from:
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the violation of the rights and freedoms of the two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who have been unjustly accused and detained under espionage charges in China
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the many pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong who are being imprisoned for standing up against the regime
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and the many Uyghur Muslims who are experiencing serious state-sponsored violence directed by the authorities in Beijing.
Although we do not represent any Canadian athletes or committees, we strongly urge Canadian athletes to consider boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, as they did for the 1980 Moscow games.
Many believe in the “Great Sport Myth” concept: sport is essentially pure and good and the goodness can be spread to all who partake in it. However, this is a myth and only a myth.
We hope you will hear our plea.
Some have argued that boycotting the Winter Olympics does nothing apart from hurting the athletes. Many believe in the “Great Sport Myth” concept: sport is essentially pure and good and the goodness can be spread to all who partake in it. However, this is a myth and only a myth. Social issues such as race, gender and social inequality do not exist in isolation from sports and athletes.
Many athletes themselves do acknowledge and fight about racism and other inequalities within their sports’ social constructs. Therefore, they should be able to see why it is harmful to visit China and compete in their respective disciplines on Chinese soil — all this will merely help the regime to generate revenue which they will use to fund the concentration camps in which they oppress the Uyghur community. Satellite images and witnesses have revealed the existence of and appalling conditions in China’s detainment camps; it is difficult to fathom why the world is not taking swift action about this.
Undoubtedly, the pandemic had already put the brakes on competitive sports. This has hampered many athletes from reaching their goals and making their preparations for upcoming competitions.
One may feel disappointed as activists and community leaders are now suggesting a boycott of the Olympic games. Yet if the people of Hong Kong, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and the Uyghurs have lost their liberties or even lives due to the actions of the Chinese communist regime, boycotting is the least athletes can do to show their solidarity and humanity.
Canada should never be sending its athletes to a country — competing, celebrating, singing and waving our flags — where concentration camps exist and while human rights are being violated.
In all, we understand that we are not the decision-makers on executing a boycott or not; this decision shall be left to the athletes themselves and not a committee. Yet, if athletes are human beings also affected by social phenomena, they should stand up for human rights in their own way. Athletes have done so before in 2020 when the shooting of Jacob Blake happened at the hands of a Wisconsin police officer.
The world did in fact send athletes to compete in the Berlin Olympics in 1936 while the Nazis were already running concentration camps; we should not repeat the same mistake.
We must remember this is a political issue; this is a human-rights issue where lives of many are affected or sometimes taken.
A boycott might not be a pivotal factor in stopping a genocide or mass human rights violations. However, it is a symbolic gesture, showing the world is standing firm on universal values. We sincerely hope Canadian athletes consider boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics next year.
We leave you to ponder a quote from Elie Wiesel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who survived the Holocaust: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant.”
This opinion piece was submitted by members of Halifax-Hong Kong Link, an activist group aiming to raise awareness among local citizens about the protests and ongoing struggle for democracy in Hong Kong.
