Hollow calls to politicize 2022 Beijing Olympics will backfire

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Western governments andcorporationswere facing increased pressureto boycott the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics overalleged human rights abuses in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Taiwan and Hong Kong, political risk, consultancy Eurasia Group analystsclaimed on Tuesday.

Such mediocrity is taking placedespite the fact that thesehollow narratives have been challenged, discredited and exposed especiallyafter the successful tour of diplomatsfrom 21 countries to Xinjiang.

The truth is that those opting tobandwagon imperialist designsaimed at pressurizing China will have to encounterpolitical and economic ramifications which will be both insurmountable and detrimental to their own cause.

Firstly,suchboycottswillresult in reputational damage to corporations and sponsorscomplimented witha decline in revenues and profits from the massive Chinese market.

It is important to notehowever, thatmany corporations have already encounteredreputational damageas a result ofparrotingshallow narrativesofso-calledhuman rights abuses in regions such as Xinjiang as facts, personal experiences andeconomic prosperityunderlined by residentssuggest otherwise.

Continued persistencehowevercan result insanctionsastit-for-tat measures against entitieswhich havechosen tobrazenlybecome engrossed in geopolitics and compromisedoncommercial interestsand goodwill.

China will for sure retaliate fiercely against those who decided to use Beijing Olympics to make a political protest.

Itis imperative thatpettypolitics are divorced from sportgiven that theinability to doso historically hasonly jeopardizedbilateralrelationshipsand resulted in lack of cross cultural contact.

Why then in 2021, have certain lobbyists chosen to politicize theOlympics?

A view of the National Speed Skating Hall, also known as the "Ice Ribbon" in Beijing, China, December 25, 2020. /CFP

Worthwhile is tohark back to thesuccess of the Beijing Olympics of 2008which continues to be hailed to date,with some of theworst fearsexpressed and fannedby draconian Western mediaoutletsfailing to materializesuch as terrorist incidents.

For many athletes, the image ofChinaas a nation of goodwill and compassion took precedence overnegative coverage with complimentary resultsof asignificant boostin trading ties internationally. Awin-win situation instead of a zero-sum gamealsofollowed asglobal economies opted for synergy at the expense of reckless political adventurism.

All this can becompromised if entities opt for parochial interests instead of partaking in the Olympics which is amultilateralsportingforum for soft power diplomacy.

It is worth noting that three Olympic boycott policies have been highlighted by Western media outlets. First is to initiate a diplomatic boycott which countriesin the EU,Asiaand elsewherewould outright reject.Theimportanceattachedtothe 2021 China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment,for example, will always outweighfoolishassessmentsbyfringe lobbyists.

The secondpolicyisthe possibility ofan athletic boycott which will only result in declining revenues for U.S. spectators, sponsors and media outlets.

The last scenario is called the "boycott lite" whichentails issuingmild political statements on the games.Countrieshave chosen to refrain from issuing sweeping statements on Beijing's policieson meritalone,such as "genocide"labels being out rightlyrejected.

It istherefore clear thatany such anti-China policy implementedor mulled overisludicrous.

Ifcertain entitieschose to leverage the Olympics to satisfy petty, parochial interests, then the lobbyists themselves would be the outright losers.Countries have choseneconomic development, strong trading ties and prosperity over discredited narrativesacting as premises for boycotting global sporting events.

Hence, boycotting the Olympicsor leveraging the event as apolitical tool willonlyresult inramifications waybeyondcompanies being shut out of the Chinese market. The lossesincurred will be cultural and political and would deprive entities of experiencing theactual Chinese story.

It should come as no surprise that the eventual conclusionreached bytheEurasiaGroupanalysts was that businesses will most likely choose to participate in the Olympics given that costsclearlyoutweigh the benefits.

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