Olympic chief slams 'boycott ghosts of the past' ahead of Beijing Games

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- On the eve of a Beijing Winter Games marked by concerns over the host country's human rights record, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach dismissed the "boycott ghosts of the past" and said the event would kick off "a new era for global winter sport."

"This is the mission of the Olympic Games: bringing the world together in peaceful competition," Bach said Thursday at the opening of an IOC session in Beijing. "This is only possible if the Olympic Games are politically neutral and do not become a tool to achieve political goals."

The United States announced in December that it would not send an official delegation to Beijing due to "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang" against a mostly Muslim Uighur population. American athletes will still participate in the Games.

A handful of countries, including Britain, Japan, Australia and Canada, have followed suit. Hundreds of rights groups issued a joint letter last week calling for more countries to join the diplomatic boycott and criticizing the IOC for failing to live up to its stated commitment to human rights.

"It's not possible for the Olympic Games to be a 'force for good,' as the International Olympic Committee claims, while the host government is committing grave crimes in violation of international law," Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said.

Ahead of the Games, Bach said organizers could "see the dark clouds of the growing politicization of sport on the horizon."

"We also saw that in some peoples' minds, the boycott ghosts of the past were rearing their ugly heads again," he said. "This is why we have been working even harder to get this unifying mission of the Olympic Games across to as many leaders and decision-makers as possible."

The Beijing Winter Games, which kick off on Friday and will run until Feb. 20, mark the first time a city has hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. The organizers have imposed a strict "closed loop" system for athletes and participants to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will limit spectator attendance to invited guests only.

In addition to human rights issues, concerns have been raised about censorship and digital surveillance as well as the environmental impact of Beijing's nearly total reliance on artificial snow.

In a video message delivered to the IOC session Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Beijing would "do our best to deliver to the world a streamlined, safe and splendid Games."

"The world is turning its eyes to China and China is ready," Xi said.

Bach said Thursday that the Beijing Games promised to "be the start of a new era for global winter sport."

The IOC chief claimed that China had achieved its goal of engaging 300 million people in winter sports and predicted its industry would be worth $155 billion by the year 2025.

"From this tremendous growth the winter sport industry around the world will benefit," Bach said. "It will change the global landscape of winter sport forever."