Threats to Athletes, Human Rights Crimes Define Beijing Games

Sponsors, NBC Should Stand with Athletes and Against Repression

(Washington DC, February 2, 2022) – A coalition of athletes and human rights groups is calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and The Olympic Partner (TOP) Olympic sponsors to ensure athletes’ free expression is guaranteed during the Beijing Winter Games. The 2022 Beijing Games officially launch on February 4 against a backdrop of Chinese government atrocity crimes targeting Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic communities, and harsh repression in Tibet, Hong Kong, and on the mainland.

“Sponsors of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games cannot pretend that these Olympics are business as usual,” said Rob Koehler, director of Global Athlete, an athletes’ rights advocacy group. “Corporate sponsors say that their sponsorship is to support the athletes. Meanwhile athletes are heading into a hazardous working environment in China, with few protections for free speech and no rights to protest crimes against humanity as they may want to do. Sponsors have the responsibility to insist on games hosts that uphold—not trample—human rights.”

Recent remarks by a high-ranking Beijing Organizing Committee member are a thinly veiled threat targeting athletes who could speak out about such abuses: “Any behavior or speech that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against the Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment.”

“It’s very troubling that the IOC has been so willing to get in line with the Chinese government’s own approach to silencing critics,” said Uyghur Human Rights Project Executive Director, Omer Kanat.

The IOC has committed to allow athlete expression during the Olympic Games, including during press conferences and through social and traditional media, but IOC Guidelines state that protest or demonstration must “comply with local legislation.” The IOC has an obligation to uphold speech rights of Olympic athletes and ensure that none are subject to reprisals for exercising those rights. 

“Athletes should not have to be scared for their safety when they go to China,” said Noah Hoffman, two-time Olympian skier and board member of Global Athlete. “It is completely unacceptable that athletes have to censor themselves on human rights and other topics—in order to keep from being censored or sent home by the Chinese government, the Olympic host.” 

“Olympics stakeholders must uphold human rights during the Games, which includes athletes’ freedom of speech,” said Zumretay Arkin, Program & Advocacy Manager at the World Uyghur Congress. “Athletes who want to show solidarity with Uyghurs, Tibetans and Hong Kongers should be applauded, not punished.”

“Athletes are already at risk of being used as propaganda during China’s Olympics, and now they risk losing their freedom of speech and protest as well,” said Pema Doma, Campaigns Director for Students for a Free Tibet.

“The IOC’s integrity and indeed its legitimacy as an international organization will be tested by its reaction to such threats,” said Bennett Freeman, member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labor and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

Gold medal Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin has said she should not have to choose between her “morals” and her “job” to compete in China. Basketball player Enes Kanter spoke out about repression of religious and other freedoms in Tibet. Two-time Olympic cross-country skier and former Team USA athlete Noah Hoffman said of his former teammates, “I am scared for their safety when they go to China.”

“The Olympic Partner” sponsors including Coca-Cola, Samsung, and Airbnb regularly profess their support for them. However, to demonstrate meaningful support, sponsors must be prepared to push back on the Beijing organizers’ threats, and back athletes if they are subject to reprisals or intimidation. The failure to support athletes in such circumstances makes the sponsors—along with the IOC—complicit with the Beijing Organizing Committee and the Chinese government in human rights abuses.

Finally, NBC Universal—the exclusive broadcaster of the Beijing Games in the United States—must ensure that any athlete protests related to the human rights situation in China are free from censorship. NBC’s journalistic integrity will be judged by audiences and advertisers watching to ensure that it fully covers the repressive human rights climate in China, and does not participate in promoting propaganda from the Chinese government.

“Freedom of expression is an important human right under international law, but Chinese human rights defenders are routinely put in prison for merely expressing their views. The IOC and governments must be ready to protect athletes who could become victims of the Chinese government’s retaliation,” said William Nee, Research and Advocacy Coordinator at Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

Signed:

1. Alberta Uyghur Association
2. Amigos del Tíbet – Colombia
3. AREF international Onlus
4. Army of Survivors
5. Asociación Cultural Tibetano-Costarricense
6. Association France Tibet
7. Athlete Ally
8. Australia Tibet Council
9. Australian East Turkestan Association
10. Australian Uyghur Association
11. Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association
12. Austria Uyghur Association
13. Baltic Tibet group
14. Bath District Tibet Support Group
15. Bay Area Friends of Tibet
16. Belgium Uyghur Association
17. Blue Crescent Humanitarian Aid Association
18. Campaign for Uyghurs
19. ChinaAid
20. Chinese Human Rights Defenders
21. Citizen Power Initiatives for China – 公民力量
22. Dutch Uyghur Human Rights Foundation
23. East Turkistan Association in Finland
24. East Turkistan Association of Canada
25. East Turkistan Education and Solidarity Association
26. East Turkistan Entrepreneur Tradesmen and Industrialists Businessmen Association
27. East Turkistan Human Rights Watch
28. East Turkistan New Generation Movement
29. East Turkistan Nuzugum Culture and Family Association
30. East Turkestan Press and Media Association
31. East Turkistan Sports and Development Association
32. East Turkistan Union in Europe
33. East Turkestan Union of Muslim Scholars
34. Eastern Turkistan Foundation
35. Étudiant pour Tibet Libre
36. Equality League
37. European East Turkistan Education Association
38. Finnish Uyghur Culture Center
39. Free Indo-Pacific Alliance
40. Free Tibet
41. Free Tibet Fukuoka
42. Freedom House
43. Friends of Tibet Bulgaria
44. Fundación Casa del Tibet
45. Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities
46. Global Athlete
47. Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete-Portugal
48. Hong Kong Democracy Council
49. Hong Kong Committee in Norway
50. Human Rights in China (HRIC)
51. Ilham Tohti Initiative
52. Indonesia Save Uyghur
53. International Campaign for Tibet
54. International Pen Uyghur Center
55. International Society for Human Rights
56. International Support for Uyghurs
57. International Tibet Network
58. International Union of East Turkistan Organizations
59. International Uyghur Human Right and Democracy Foundation
60. Isa Yusup Alptekin Foundation
61. Islamic Community Milli Gorus
62. ISHR – Sweden
63. Japan Uyghur Association
64. Jewish Movement for Uyghur Freedom
65. Latvia for Tibet
66. Norwegian Uyghur Committee
67. NY4HK
68. Omer Uygur Foundation
69. Pema Choden
70. PEN America
71. Power of Sport Lab / Athletes for Human Rights
72. Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet
73. Satuq Bugrakhan Foundation of Science and Civilization
74. Society for Threatened Peoples
75. Society Union of Uyghur National Association
76. South Mongolia Congress
77. Stop Uyghur Genocide Canada
78. Stand With Hong Kong Vienna
79. Students for a Free Tibet
80. Students for a Free Tibet -Denmark
81. Sweden Uyghur Education Union
82. Swedish Tibet Committee
83. Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association
84. Switzerland East Turkestan Association
85. Taiwan East Turkestan Association
86. The Campaign for Hong Kong
87. The Norwegian Tibet Committee
88. The Tibet Support Committee, Denmark
89. Tibet Action Institute
90. Tibet Initiative Deutschland
91. Tibet Justice Center
92. Tibet Mx
93. Tibet Rescue Initiative in Africa
94. Tibet Solidarity
95. Tibet Support Groep Nederland
96. Tibetan Community Switzerland and Liechtenstein
97. Tibetan Community of Australia
98. Tibetan Community in Britain
99. Tibetan Youth Association in Europe
100. Den norske Tibet-komité
101. US Tibet Committee
102. Uigur Society of the Kyrgyz Republic
103. Umer Uyghur Trust
104. USTC
105. Uyghur American Association
106. Uyghur Academy Australia
107. Uyghur Academy Canada
108. Uyghur Academy Europe
109. Uyghur Academy Foundation
110. Uyghur Academy Japan
111. Uyghur Academy USA
112. Uyghur Association of Victoria
113. Uyghur Center for Human Rights and Democracy
114. Uyghur Cultural and Education Union in Germany
115. Uyghur Education Union
116. Uyghur Human Rights Project
117. Uyghur Projects Foundation
118. Uyghur Refugee Relief Fund
119. Uyghur Research Institute
120. Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
121. Uyghur Science and Civilization Research Foundation
122. Uyghur Support Group Netherlands
123. Uyghur Transitional Justice Database
124. Uyghur U.K. Association
125. Uyghur Youth Union in Kazakhstan
126. Uzbekistan Uyghur Culture Center
127. Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement
128. Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
129. Victoria Uyghur Association
130. Voces de Tíbet
131. We The Hongkongers
132. World Uyghur Congress
133. World Uyghur Congress Foundation

Media Contacts:

• Rob Koehler, Global Athlete, Rob.Koehler@globalathlete.org 
• Omer Kanat, Uyghur Human Rights Project, kanato@uhrp.org
• Zumretay Arkin, World Uyghur Congress, zumretay@uyghurcongress.org 
• Pema Doma, Students for a Free Tibet, pemadoma@studentsforafreetibet.org
• Bennett Freeman, bennett.freeman14@gmail.com
• William Nee, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, william@nchrd.org