Beijing Olympics 2022- Relevance for UPSC Exam
- GS Paper 2: International Relations- India and its neighbourhood- relations.
Beijing Olympics 2022- Context
- 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.
Beijing Olympics 2022- Reason India’s Diplomatic Boycott
- 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.
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Beijing Olympics 2022- Reason for USA’s boycott
- 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.
Winter Olympics- Key Points
- 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.
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