Today, on International Olympic Day 2021,  we Tibetan, Uyghur, Southern Mongolian, Hongkonger, Taiwanese, and Chinese people, and our committed allies are united in our call on world leaders, National Olympic Committees, Olympic sponsors, and all people of conscience to end support for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, ‘The Genocide Games’.

From New Zealand to Canada, Japan to Argentina, Australia to Sweden, thousands of us have come together in towns and cities around the world to demand action against Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics due to China’s genocide against the Uyghur and Turkic Muslim people, the severe and escalating repression in Tibet, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong, and China proper, and geopolitical bullying of Taiwan, or risk legitimising these abuses.

For decades the International Olympic Committee has had an opportunity to use its position as a ‘force for good’ to demand China uphold the Olympic Charter and the Fundamental Principles of Olympism that “seeks to create a way of life-based on […] social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.” But they have completely failed in this task.

Allowing Beijing 2022 to go ahead runs the serious risk of legitimising China’s crimes against humanity. The clearest indication of this comes from the 2008 Olympic Games when China made a series of human rights commitments during its successful bid, then immediately backtracked on them and escalated its crackdowns against Tibetans, Uyghurs, and government critics. Despite this, it faced no challenge from the International Olympic Committee at any point.

Now faced with the worst possible human rights crisis of our time – genocide – it falls on Governments, National Olympic Associations, Sponsors, athletes to take a stand and boycott of the 2022 Winter Games.