INTERNATIONAL: Athletes travelling to next month's Beijing Olympics were warned on Tuesday by speakers at a seminar hosted by Human Rights Watch, about speaking up on human rights issues while in China for their own safety.
Rights groups have long criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for awarding the Games to China, citing the treatment by the Chinese government of the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups, which the United States has deemed genocide. China denies the allegations of human rights abuses.
The director general of the Global Athlete group, Rob Koehler has mentioned that silence is complicity and that's why the global athlete group has concerns. He has added that there’s not much protection the group believe is going to be afforded to athletes.
So, he has adviced athletes not to speak up. He also said, he wants them to compete and use their voice when they get home.
Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states that "no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas".
Human Rights Watch researcher, Yaqui Wang has said, "Chinese laws are very vague on the crimes that can be used to prosecute people's free speech. People can be charged with picking quarrels or provoking trouble. There are all kinds of crimes that can be levelled at peaceful, critical comments."
A cross-country skier who represented the U.S. at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games, Noah Hoffman has said the American team was being shielded from questions about human rights.
Concerns about data privacy and spying at the Games were raised on Tuesday when a smartphone app built by China to monitor the health of attendees was reported to contain security flaws.
Mr. Rob Koehler has mentioned, when it comes to surveillance, they know it's there. There are reasons that several countries have come out and have asked athletes not to bring their own mobile devices. Any person of a sane mind who hears these things must have concerns.
The IOC has said that the Olympic body "recognises and upholds human rights as enshrined in both the Fundamental Principles of the Olympic Charter and in its Code of Ethics" at all times.
The Winter Olympics are set to begin on February 4. Several countries including the United States, Britain, Japan and Australia have announced diplomatic boycotts of the Games over concerns about human rights in China.
