India's Diplomatic Boycott of the Beijing Olympics 2022

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Beijing Olympics 2022- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: International Relations- India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Recently, India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 over Galwan row with China.
- Prasar Bharti also announced that Doordarshan will not telecast the opening and closing ceremonies of the Bejing Winter Olympics.
Other countries like USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada have already announced the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics 2022.
- Although they will all send athletes to compete, no ministers or officials will attend.

Reason for Boycott: Indian response to boycotting the Beijing Olympics came from the backdrop of China picking a Chinese soldier involved in the Galwan incident as an Olympic torchbearer.
- The Galwan clashes in mid-June 2020 had resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel.
What it means:
- India said that its envoy will not attend the opening or closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.
- It means that New Delhi will boycott the Olympics at the diplomatic level although it will send an athlete for the event.

Reason: the USA decided to boycott the Beijing winter Olympics because of China’s gross human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang especially against Xinjiang Uyghurs.
What it means: It would mean the USA will not send “any diplomatic or official representation,” while still allowing American athletes to compete.

Beginning: The first winter Olympic games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.
About: The Winter Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event for sports practiced on snow and ice.
Frequency: The Winter Olympic Games are held once every four years.
Governing Authority: International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the governing body for the Winter Olympic Games.
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a non-governmental sports organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland.