Romney suggests U.S. boycott of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics should not include athletes

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) does believe the United States and its allies should boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing the Chinese government's actions in Hong Kong and accusations of genocide against Uighurs and other ethnic minorities. But, he wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times published Monday, that boycott should not include athletes.

"Our athletes have trained their entire lives for this competition and have primed their abilities to peak in 2022," he wrote. "It would be unfair to ask a few hundred young American athletes to shoulder the burden of our disapproval" of the Chinese government, he continued.

Instead, Romney suggested "an economic and diplomatic boycott," which means no Americans, civilians and diplomats alike, would attend. Instead of the "traditional delegation of diplomats and White House officials," Romney said, President Biden could invite Chinese dissidents, religious leaders, and members of ethnic minority communities to represent the U.S. "Limiting spectators, selectively shaping our respective delegations, and refraining from broadcasting Chinese propaganda would prevent China from reaping many rewards it expcts from the Olympics," he wrote. Read the full piece at The New York Times.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.