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First Kashmiri to represent Nation in Beijing Olympics

He was introduced to skiing at the age of four by his father who had made a small ski slope just outside the shop…reports Farooq Ganderbali Srinagar

Kashmiri skier Arif Khan, who will create history on Sunday when he takes part in the men’s giant slalom event of the Beijing Winter Olympics, says he knew 10 years ago that he would one day represent the country in the global showpiece.

Hailing from a village in Kashmir’s Baramulla district, one of the most-frequented tourist spots of the valley, Khan will become the first Indian to compete in two events in a Winter Olympics — in men’s slalom and giant slalom. His slalom event will be held on February 16.

Taking to skiing seemed natural to Khan as his father Yasin owns a ski equipment shop at Gulmarg which is near his village. He was introduced to skiing at the age of four by his father who had made a small ski slope just outside the shop.

Khan began competitive skiing when he was 10 years old and at 12, he won a gold medal in the slalom at the national championship.

In 2011, Khan won two gold medals — in the slalom and giant slalom — at the South Asian Winter Games in Dehradun and Auli.

“So, I was the fastest skier in India by then. After the gold medals, I knew that I will one day represent the country in Winter Olympics, it was going to be only a matter of time,” Khan told media from the Games Village in Beijing.

“I should have qualified (for Winter Olympics) earlier but it did not happen due to certain reasons. So, it will be a dream come true moment (on Sunday). I am proud to represent 1.4 billion Indians and to put my region in Olympics map,” said the 31-year-old.

India had declared a diplomatic boycott of the Games after China fielded the regimental commander of the People’s Liberation Army, who was injured during the 2020 military face-off with Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, as a torchbearer for the event’s Torch Relay.

“It was the country’s decision and the call from the government and I have no issues with that. You cannot go against the decision of the government of your country. I was happy with whatever I was doing,” Khan said.

“I was feeling great for my people back home. A lot of people sent me messages for this great moment. I knew that entire India would see me holding the (national) flag during the opening ceremony (on February 4) and they must be proud of me.” Khan has taken part in four FIS World Ski Championships so far, starting from 2013. His best result has been 45th in the giant slalom at the 2021 edition in Italy.

Just before leaving for Beijing, Khan had said that he would be happy if he can make it to the top-30 in his events.

“It’s a difficult and complicated event, you never know what will happen on a day. You have to be conscious about your movement, balance of your body, of your skiis, the speed till the last gate.

“I am hoping for a good performance but under such conditions it is difficult to predict anything. I am trying to keep my balance on the ice. I need to carry with my balance till the last gate if I want to finish in top numbers. I am doing fine in that regard.

“I am not feeling any pressure. The conditions are superb here — food, training, accommodation etc. We are allowed to go only within the close loop, so there is no COVID fears also. We are being tested everyday and it’s not a hassle.” He said the skii course in Beijing — or for that matter in other top class events — is much different from the ones he had trained and so adjustment is not easy.

“The ice is different here, it is injected ice. These are used in this kind of top global events. These are costly to maintain and you don’t get it during training. I have done training for the past few days after arriving here and getting used to it. But you never know, you can’t predict how you will fare.” Before the Beijing Games, Khan had trained at Innsbruck in Austria.

Slalom and giant slalom are two of the five events in Alpine skiing. The athletes are required to ski down a vertical slope through ‘gates’, which consist of of two plastic poles.

A skier will run two races and the competitor with the lowest combined time across the two courses is deemed the winner.

Slalom is more difficult technically than giant slalom as the former has the shortest course and fastest turns with the least spacing between the ‘gates’…..

(Writer is Srinagar based Journalist)

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‘Bones sticking out’: Athletes complain of inedible meals at Beijing Olympics

Head of German team Dirk Schimmelpfennig blasted ‘unacceptable’ conditions for his athletes, saying isolation rooms are too small, not hygienic enough and the food is poor…reports Asian Lite News

Dozens of athletes thrown into virus isolation at China’s zero-Covid Winter Olympics have laid bare their misery — describing ‘crying like crazy’ after being hauled out of bed at 3 a.m. before being fed miserable food in rooms too small for exercise, Daily Mail reported.

Beijing is attempting to hold a virus-free event in the midst of a pandemic, cutting off competitors and their teams in a bubble where tests must be taken every day, with anyone who tests positive dragged off to isolation.

But conditions in isolation are reportedly dire. Valeria Vasnetsova, a Russian biathlete, claims she was served the same inedible meal three times a day for five days in a row – and that it left her so emaciated that her ‘bones (were) sticking out’, the report said.

Head of German team Dirk Schimmelpfennig also blasted ‘unacceptable’ conditions for his athletes, saying isolation rooms are too small, not hygienic enough, the food is poor and PCR tests that athletes must take to free themselves are not being given, Daily Mail reported.

Natalia Maliszewska, a Polish speed skater, described being repeatedly moved into and out of quarantine over successive days due to conflicting Covid test results, an experience she described as a ‘trauma’ that left her ‘crying and crying’.

During one ‘night of horror’ she said officials dragged her out of bed at 3 a.m. in order to take her back to the athlete’s village after ruling she was Covid-free — only to later say they made a mistake before taking her back into solitary.

There are currently 387 people from the athletes’ bubble in Covid isolation in China, though this also includes members of their teams and press. The exact number of competitors in solitary is not clear, but is thought to be in the dozens.

Vincent Zhou, an American figure skater and medal hopeful, was among athletes to test positive on Monday and was taken to isolation. Austrian snowboarder Sabine Schoffmann also tested positive.

Jukka Jalonen, head of Finland’s ice hockey team, said on Sunday that China is violating the human rights of one of his star players by keeping him in isolation despite team doctors clearing him to play, Daily Mail reported.

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‘Genocide Games’: Tibetan Protest shakes Olympic headquarters

Pic credits ANi

Protesters said that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opens amid atrocities and other grave human rights violations by the Chinese government….reports Asian Lite News

Around 300 Tibetan protestors marched on to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne to protest against the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The protest took place on Thursday where participants from Italy, Netherland, France, Germany, etc. took part in the demonstration against the human rights abuses by Chinese officials.

The maximum number of protestors were from Belgium. The President of the Belgium Tibetan Community, Palden Tibet Tsering stated that they were protesting against the Human rights violations by China against Tibetans.

The marchers wrapped in the red, yellow, and blue flag of Tibet and dressed in traditional robes chanted against China. They wanted to show the IOC that the Olympics in China is against the spirit of humanity and sportsmanship.

Pic credits ANi

Activists said that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opens amid atrocities and other grave human rights violations by the Chinese government.

Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese authorities have been committing mass abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans, ethnic groups, and religious believers from all independent faith groups.

They termed Beijing Games as “Genocide Games” and chanted slogans like “Beijing Olympics, Genocide Games”, “Tibet is burning”, and “Long live Dalai Lama”.The protester also marched afterwards from the IOC office to Olympic Museum. US administration in December had announced its decision not to send an official delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics citing human rights violations in China.

This was followed by the UK, Australia, and Canada. Their athletes will still participate in the Games nonetheless. The Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing from February 4 to 20.

Pic credits ANi

India has also chosen to diplomatically the even as it has referred to China choosing a People Liberation Army’s commander injured in Galwan clash for 2022 Winter Olympics Meanwhile, China has refuted all the allegations. Chinese President Xi Jinping will declare the games opening ceremony at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium, which was built for, and launched, the summer Olympics in 2008 as well.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Thomas Bach President of the International Olympics Commitee, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan are among the foreign dignitaries to attend the event.torch relay. The presence of a large number of foreign guests comes as the COVID-19 cases are on the rise in China and Winter Olympics games face risks of air pollution. (ANI)

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Sreejesh nominated for World Games Athlete of the Year award

Sreejesh was instrumental in India’s incredible performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 where the team ended a 41-year-long wait to stand on the podium…reports Asian Lite News

Indian men’s hockey team’s ace goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has said that nomination for the World Games Athlete of the Year 2021 award is special as it recognises great team work and “our Olympic performance”.

“I am so honoured to be nominated and this truly goes for the team. It’s because of their hard work that we are being recognised world-over. The credit of all this success also goes to Hockey India for their support, without them none of this could be possible. Now it’s up to the fans to choose the deserving winner for this award,” stated an elated Sreejesh who is currently in SAI, Bengaluru for the ongoing National Coaching Camp.

Sreejesh was instrumental in India’s incredible performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 where the team ended a 41-year-long wait to stand on the podium.
The 24 athletes nominated for this award from 17 countries have been recommended by their respective international federations and in Sreejesh’s case, the FIH has recommended his name for the award for his outstanding efforts in the year 2021.

Earlier in the year, Sreejesh was also elected as the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award and was also conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award by the Government of India for his exemplary career in hockey.

In 2019, Indian Women’s Hockey Captain Rani became the first from India to win the World Games Athlete of the Year with 1,99,477 votes. This will be the Ninth edition of the IWGA initiative that recognises and honours an athlete or a team for their outstanding performance in 2021, or for their social commitment or particularly fair behaviour.

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Taiwanese legislators call for boycott of Beijing Olympics

The developments came days after the US and UK mulled upon the boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing,…reports Asian Lite News

Owing to China’s human rights violation in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, Taiwanese legislators from New Power Party (NPP) have made a call to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

At a press conference on Wednesday, NPP legislator Chen Jiau-hua stated on the party’s behalf that China is unqualified to host the Olympics due to its ongoing human rights violations against people of various ethnic groups, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations, which is exactly the opposite of what is written in the Olympic Creed, reported Taiwan News.

“The government should issue a resolution to boycott the Winter Games while protecting the nation’s competitive athletes,” said another NPP legislator Claire Wang.

“Women and female athletes are more vulnerable to sexual coercion under authoritarianism, which can be observed from former Chinese professional tennis star Peng Shuai’s accusation against former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and how the top Chinese authority reacted to the event,” Wang said.

Peng, 35, went missing on November 2 after she said on Chinese social media that she had been sexually assaulted and forced into a sexual relationship with Zhang Gaoli, 75, who was China’s vice premier from 2013 to 2018.

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The developments came days after the US and UK mulled upon the boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing,

The White House usually sends a delegation to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, but this time, under a diplomatic boycott, it would not send the delegation.

The diplomatic boycott call has been advocated by top US lawmakers. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had called for such a boycott, a move to protest against China’s abuses of human rights, said CNN.

Responding to it, China said that the politicization of the Olympics will harm the global sports movement in the world.

Human rights activists have raised their voices against China’s detention of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province and crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

In March, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity for alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to Sputnik. (ANI)

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Breaking stereotypes, these Raj girls opt for unconventional careers


The accident left Avani demotivated but the biography of Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra instilled fresh hope in her and she worked hard to add a feather in her cap….reports Archana Sharma

Rajasthan, which was once known for its low sex ratio and lower literacy rate for women, is now making news with its girls winning laurels for the state by earning name and fame while choosing the most unconventional careers, irrespective of whether they were brought up in rural or urban areas of the state.

Avani Lekhara (19) is the latest example. She won the gold medal in women’s 10m air rifle standing event in the SH 1 category at the Tokyo Paralympics. She was brought up in a small town Dholpur and had met with an accident due to which her spinal cord was injured.

Avani, wanting to do something different, chose shooting. The accident left her demotivated but the biography of Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra instilled fresh hope in her and she worked hard to add a feather in her cap.

Pic credits IANS

In the same series, 10-year-old athlete Pooja Vishnoi from Guda Vishnoiyan village of Jodhpur was in the news for her six packs which she developed when she was 7. Besides being an athlete, she is a cricketer too and is the only member from Rajasthan in the Virat Kohli Foundation. Pooja recently shot an ad with cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Presently, she is working hard to bring a medal for India in the next youth Olympics to be held in 2024. The Virat Kohli Foundation manages her sport and diet plan too. She is the youngest member among 16 kids selected by the Foundation.

Another young woman Megha Kapoor is hitting the headlines by being a certified health coach and has clients from Delhi, Mumbai, USA and even Africa while being located at Jaipur.

When young, she was irritated with comments related to body shaming which inspired her to take up this unconventional profession. After somebody at her sister’s wedding asked her if she was eating for 2 people, it hurt her and her self-esteem and gave birth to a whole lot of body image issues. She then chose this career and went to London to pursue the course.

“Being a female fitness coach means competing in a very male dominated industry in India – not easy but that should never stop us,” says this founder of Megha Squad adding “Unfortunately, in India, not many people know about being a certified health coach. However, the COVID pandemic has taught us to take health awareness seriously and act upon it. So, people have started being more conscious of their lifestyle choices when it comes to health and hence the career is now drawing more credence.”

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‘Fruit of five years of sacrifices’

While the Indian men’s team finished with a bronze, ending a 41-year medal drought, the women’s team narrowly missed third place, going down to Great Britain 3-4 in the bronze-medal match…reports Asian Lite News

Indian men’s and women’s hockey team captains Manpreet Singh and Rampal wrote an open letter to hockey fans across the world, saying that “The historic Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 campaign was the culmination of five years of intense hard work and lot of sacrifices” and that the “love and support we have received” from across the country and even abroad during the Games has been “overwhelming”.

“Through this letter, we wanted to share with you some of the emotions we have experienced over these past three weeks and also let you know just how much your support meant to us during our campaign at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

“After a memorable tournament and a euphoric welcome we received upon our arrival in New Delhi on Monday, we have finally reached our respective homes. We must admit that the love and support we have received from across the country and even abroad has been overwhelming to say the least,” the two skippers wrote.

While the Indian men’s team finished with a bronze, ending a 41-year medal drought, the women’s team narrowly missed third place, going down to Great Britain 3-4 in the bronze-medal match.

“The historic Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 campaign was the culmination of five years of intense hard work, dedication and a lot of sacrifices. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy at all, we have had our ups and downs, but we never gave up. We were focused and gave our everything on the field in each game to show that we are fearless and can beat any team in the world.

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“Our achievement could not have been possible without the constant support and help from the team support staff, Odisha state government, Hockey India, Sports Authority of India (SAI), and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. We would like to thank each one of them for helping and encouraging us throughout the journey,” said the two skippers.

“We would also like to thank each one of our fans, who have supported both teams at every step of the way. We are aware of you waking up early just to watch us play, you backed us all the way, you celebrated when we won, and you cried with us when we lost. This unconditional support we received from you means the world to us and we hope that you will continue to support us in the forthcoming Olympic cycle too.”

The duo said that their teams were looking forward with renewed vigour to the Commonwealth and Asian Games next year.

“We have big tournaments coming up and while we are now on a break for a few weeks, we are constantly thinking about ‘what next’. The support and encouragement we have received over these past few weeks has motivated us more than ever to bring laurels to the country and we have set our sights firmly on the big-ticket events coming up this Olympic cycle namely the Asian Champions Trophy, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Asia Cup, the FIH Hockey Pro League and the FIH Men’s and Women’s World Cup.”

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MPs Vote For Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics

Conservative MP Tim Loughton, the author of the motion said it is time for the British government to stop sending mixed messages to Beijing and to toughen up on its response to the Chinese government’s abuses, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

The UK House of Commons has unanimously passed a motion calling for the British government to stage a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics unless China ends the “atrocities” taking place in Xinjiang province.

The motion referenced accusations of mass atrocity crimes in the Uyghur region and urged the UK Government and its representatives to decline invitations to attend the Beijing Games, according to a statement by Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).

The motion also referenced Chinese government sanctions on UK citizens, with Tim Loughton MP and four other members of IPAC among those sanctioned for their advocacy on Uyghur rights in March this year.

The motion comes amid growing global calls to stage a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Last week, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for EU Member State leaders to decline invitations to attend the Beijing Olympics.

Conservative MP Tim Loughton, the author of the motion, said: “The government, on the one hand, speaks of industrial-scale human rights abuses taking place in the Uyghur Region, and on the other pursues ever deeper trade links with Beijing – even allowing our largest semiconductor manufacturer to be snapped up by a Chinese owned firm. It is time for the government to stop sending mixed messages to Beijing and to toughen up on its response to the Chinese government’s abuses.”

“Authoritarian regimes have a long and troubling history of using the Olympics to whitewash their crimes and spread their propaganda on a global scale. The Chinese Communist Party knows this and so far is getting away with it. It’s up to Britain and democratic states across the world to send a clear message to Beijing: we will not turn a blind eye to the abuses in the Uyghur Region, Tibet and Hong Kong, and we will not let you score a major propaganda victory at the Winter Olympics.”

Afzal Khan MP, Labour Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, said: “The repression of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese Government has a long and dark history, but in the last few years the CCP has ramped up its persecution of Uyghurs. A diplomatic boycott would ensure that the UK doesn’t turn a blind eye to industrial scale human rights abuses.”

According to IPAC, Beijing hopes to use the Games as a chance to detract from the egregious abuses in the Uyghur Region and its brutal crackdown in Hong Kong.

Last month, Free Tibet, a group fighting for the rights of Tibetans unfurled a banner at the Westminster Bridge calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

They have appealed to the UK government to recognise China’s appalling human rights abuses and to boycott Beijing 2022 Olympics.

Last month in Washington, dozens of Uyghur, Tibetan and Hong Kong activists gathered outside the White House to protest against the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and to call for a complete boycott.

On International Olympics Day, representatives of minority groups from China, now living in the United States became a part of the Global Day of Action against the Beijing Olympics, which involved demonstrations in over 50 other cities around the world including Washington.

The diverse group united together to call on the US government to draw a red line for genocide and boycott Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had ordered a review the purchase of the UK’s largest producer of semiconductors by a Chinese-owned manufacturer, a day after his government said it would not intervene.

Chinese-owned firm Nexperia had acquired Britain’s largest producer of silicon chips Newport Wafer Fab. The agreement was said to be worth around USD 116 million but this has not been confirmed, The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported.

According to the SMH, the deal was not reviewed under the UK’s new national security law, which is meant to stop high-risk foreign takeovers of critical infrastructure firms.

The semiconductor industry has gained geopolitical importance as China has targeted the key technology for the future economy. Beijing has ambitions to corner the global supply chain of semiconductors as silicon-based products are the imperative component of all electronic devices. (ANI)

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Boycott Beijing ’22 banner at Westminster Bridge

A growing number of MPs have called on the UK to carry out either a diplomatic or full boycott of next year’s Winter Games, said Free Tibet…reports Asian Lite News.

Free Tibet, a group fighting for the rights of Tibetans on Wednesday unfurled a banner at the Westminster Bridge calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

They have appealed to the UK government to recognise China’s appalling human rights abuses and to boycott Beijing 2022 Olympics.

The action generated significant attention with several laypersons approaching them to enquire about the campaign and how they could support it, said the Free Tibet organisation.

The organisation said that protesters will also gather outside Downing Street to call on the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to show leadership and not to attend the Winter Games and also urge him to dissuade the British Olympic Association not to send a team to Beijing.

A growing number of MPs have called on the UK to carry out either a diplomatic or full boycott of next year’s Winter Games, said Free Tibet.

On International Olympic Day (June 23) campaigners representing Tibetan, Uyghur, Southern Mongolian, Hongkonger, Taiwanese, and Chinese people united around the globe in over 60 global cities calling on world leaders, National Olympic Committees, Olympic Sponsors and all people of conscience to boycott Beijing 2022, ‘The Genocide Games.’

Beijing Olympics Boycott (ANI)

The protest was organised under the campaign “No Beijing 2022 Global Day of Action”.

From New Zealand to Canada, Japan to Argentina, Australia to Sweden, thousands of people will stand in solidarity to deliver the joint message that China must not be allowed to use Beijing 2022 to ‘sport-wash’ the genocide against the Uyghur people, the severe and escalating repression in Tibet, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong, and China proper, and the geopolitical bullying of Taiwan.

In February 2022, Beijing will become the first city in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Tibetans had earlier protested during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, they were brutally put down.

Beijing Olympics Boycott (ANI)

Since then more than one million Tibetans have been entered into coercive labour and relocation programmes designed to disrupt traditional ways of life. Over a million Uyghur people have been detained in concentration camps and up to 500,000 are being forced to pick cotton, said Free Tibet in a release.

A boycott is already supported by politicians from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, as well as the Czech senate, and US politicians Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney.

Support for a boycott of Beijing 2022 has grown exponentially since activists released a joint letter to governments in September 2020. Parliaments and elected representatives from across the political divide agree that supporting the Beijing 2022 Olympics is tantamount to endorsing China’s human rights abuses, said #NoBeijing2022 release.

As human rights experts warned, the 2008 Summer Games led to a further crackdown on human rights and took place without any meaningful human rights due diligence.

Contrary to China’s commitment to hold a “free and open” Olympic Games in 2008, Beijing continued to clamp down on the international media and quashed all freedom of expression for Tibetans wishing to voice their opinions about the Games. (ANI)

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European leaders call for ‘diplomatic boycott’ of Beijing Olympics

Last month, a coalition of human rights groups had called for a complete boycott of the Winter Olympics, saying that participating in the games would be tantamount to endorsing China’s genocide against the Uyghur people”…reports Asian Lite News.

Amid the growing calls for shunning 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a group of politicians from countries across Europe and North America launched coordinated legislative actions on Monday, calling for a diplomatic boycott of games citing “gross violations of human rights” by the Chinese government.

This action is aimed to mount pressure on governments, elected officials, and heads of state, to decline invitations to next year’s Olympics, South China Morning Post reported.

“This coordinated effort by legislators in multiple democratic countries sends a message the IOC cannot ignore: if it can discuss postponing the Tokyo Games over public health concerns, it can certainly move the China games over the mass incarceration of millions in concentration camps,” said Tom Malinowski, vice-chair of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement.

Last month, a coalition of human rights groups had called for a complete boycott of the Winter Olympics, saying that participating in the games would be tantamount to endorsing China’s genocide against the Uyghur people”.

In a joint statement, a coalition representing Uyghurs, Tibetans, residents of Hong Kong and others had said that the Chinese government is committing genocide against the Uyghur people and waging an unprecedented campaign of repression in East Turkistan, Tibet and Southern Mongolia, as well as an all-out assault on democracy in Hong Kong.

“Participating in the Beijing Olympic Games at this time would be tantamount to endorsing China’s genocide against the Uyghur people, and legitimising the increasingly repressive policies of the totalitarian Chinese regime,” the coalition said in a statement.

Demands for some form of boycott of the Beijing Games are continuously growing.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also called for a “diplomatic boycott” of the Winter Olympics that are scheduled to take place in Beijing next year, over the human rights violations of Uyghurs in China.

Speaking at a hearing of Congress’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Pelosi last month had advocated for the United States to withhold any official delegation from traveling to the Games but allowing for athletes to compete in Beijing in 2022, reported The Hill.

China has been rebuked globally for cracking down on Uyghur Muslims by sending them to mass detention camps and sending members of the community to undergo some form of forcible re-education or indoctrination.

Early this year, the United States became the first country in the world to declare the Chinese actions in Xinjiang as “genocide”.

In February, both the Canadian and Dutch parliaments adopted motions recognising the Uyghur crisis as genocide. The latter became the first parliament in Europe to do so. In April, the United Kingdom also declared China’s ongoing crackdown in Xinjiang a “genocide”. (ANI)

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