Why China deserves to host the 2022 Winter Olympics
- Boycotts of sporting events fail to achieve political goals and only harm the athletes
- Research suggests the 2008 Olympics had positive effects on China’s society, economy and environment, and Beijing’s hosting of the Winter Olympics will continue to expand the role of sport in the country
On a gentle night in September 1993, right in front of Tiananmen Square, I witnessed one of the biggest premature celebrations in history. When the International Olympic Committee started to thank the bidders for the right to host the 2000 Summer Olympics, the name “Beijing” was uttered through a loud speaker.
Eight years later, China’s bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics was successful. Following the winning announcement, a wild celebration ensued with joyful dancing, the deafening noise of firecrackers, laughter and ecstatic cries. Among the crowds, I felt the sense of jubilation and their longing for recognition from the world.
China won, with its excellent infrastructure, existing venues and powerful financial backing from the government.
There is a long, messy history of boycotting the Olympics. Consider the United States’ boycott of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, which US president Jimmy Carter initiated to protest against Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan the year before.
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) issued an apology to its athletes in 2020, saying the boycott “had no impact on the global politics of the era and instead only harmed you”.
Susan Brownell, a professor at the University of Missouri-St Louis, is a well-known authority on Chinese sports. She was an athlete in 1980 and competed in the US Olympic Trials in track and field. She felt athletes were pawns used by their government.
“I agree with the position of the [International Olympic Committee] and the USOPC,” Brownell said in an email interview. “Boycotts do not achieve political goals and only harm the athletes.” She said she opposes boycotts and embargoes as a matter of principle. “I think engagement is always better.”
I cannot agree with her more. Full participation in the Olympics will also serve as a chance to showcase American values.
In 2020, Shushu Chen of the University of Birmingham and her collaborators examined the long-term inspirational effects of sporting megaevents on participation in sport and physical activity.
Their survey of Beijing residents found 73 per cent of respondents believed hosting the 2008 Olympics inspired them to increase their sports participation and about 65 per cent had tried new sports.
Beijing’s hosting of the Winter Olympics will continue to expand the role of sport in the country. The authorities have set the goal of having 300 million people taking part in winter sports. That’s in line with the Olympic spirit, isn’t it?
There is strong public support for the Games, though perhaps not as high as the 90 per cent claimed by the government.
The Games are supposed to bring all nations together for competition, camaraderie and friendship. A diplomatic boycott, though less damaging than a full boycott, is not in line with this spirit.
Historically, the Olympics have made a positive, long-lasting impact. Japan hosting the Olympics in 1964 and South Korea in 1988 helped democratise the two countries.
The same will not happen in China, but research suggests that the 2008 Olympics had positive effects on China’s society, economy and environment.
In my view, the Olympics are about sports and athletes. If the Chinese people support hosting the Games and can also benefit from it, then I am all for it. The people deserve it.
Lijia Zhang is a rocket-factory worker turned social commentator, and the author of a novel, Lotus