Britain joins U.S. in diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics


The U.K. will join the U.S. and several other countries — including Australia, New Zealand, and Lithuania — in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Wednesday.
"There will be effectively a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing," Johnson told the British parliament, per Politico. "No ministers are expected to attend, and no officials." Athletes will still be allowed to attend because the prime minister does not believe "sporting boycotts are sensible."
The decision to pull top officials from attendance is a way of condemning China for human rights abuses against Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang while still allowing athletes to compete, The New York Times explained. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden administration officials would not appear at the Games, confirming a decision the president had been mulling over for a few weeks.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
China denies all rights abuses, but has said the U.S. would pay for its decision and warned of possible retribution, per Reuters.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland