The United States is considering a boycott on the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, China, but has not come to a “final decision,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Thursday.
Psaki addressed the issue at a White House press conference Thursday, saying there were no updates on where the U.S. was headed. Her response to questions on the Beijing games represents a change, however, from her comments on the subject from February 3, when she said the U.S. had “no plans” to boycott the games.
“There hasn’t been a final decision made on that and, of course, we would look for guidance from the U.S. Olympic Committee,” she told reporters when asked about U.S. participation. (RELATED: ‘Fascist China, Nazi China’: Uighurs Demand US Prosecute Chinese Ambassadors For Genocide, Boycott Beijing Olympics)
Amid growing calls for boycotting the 2022 #Beijing Olympics, U.S. President @JoeBiden’s spokesperson said on Thursday that Washington hasn’t made a decision about whether to join the Olympic or not. https://t.co/ePxEDBLsvr
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) February 25, 2021
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has not made a change of stance since its initial statement opposing boycotts in early February, Reuters reported.
President Joe Biden’s administration has maintained and reaffirmed former President Donald Trump’s designation of China’s persecution of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang as a “genocide.” Biden’s administration has also been heavily critical of the World Health Organization’s investigation into the origin of the coronavirus in China.
China falsified much of its data on coronavirus cases and deaths in the early days of the pandemic. The WHO also parroted much of the information coming out of China, leading the world to be less prepared for the impact of the disease.
The Tokyo Olympic games were originally scheduled for summer of 2020, but have been rescheduled to begin in late July this year.