Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio sent a letter on Dec. 8 to the partners of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) pressing the organization to move the Winter Olympics from Beijing and address the ongoing genocide in the region.
Rubio requested that the companies acknowledge the genocide in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by asking the IOC to boycott the Olympic Winter Games, or pull their advertising dollars from the event, should the games proceed as planned. However, since the letter was sent, not one of the 15 companies affiliated with the Olympic Partner Program (TOP) — Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Atos, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Intel, NBC, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Samsung and Visa — has responded to Rubio’s requests.
“It should come as no surprise that the Olympic Partners have remained silent when asked to speak out again[st] the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang,” Rubio said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller. The senator went on to say that one of the partners, Coca-Cola, previously lobbied against his Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act “out of fear for their bottom line.”
Rubio argued in his letter that moving forward with the plan to host the games in Beijing would tarnish the reputation and central values of the Olympic Movement, and threaten to “damage it beyond repair.” The tenant of the IOC’s vision seeks to build a “better world through sport,” and that “Olympism is a philosophy of life, which places sport at the service of mankind.” (RELATED: Nike Executives Funneled Money To Democrats Who Just Blocked Uyghur Forced Labor Bill)
Tibetan activists from the Students for a Free Tibet association protest in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters ahead of the February’s Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, on December 11, 2021 in Lausanne. – Human rights campaigners and exiles accuses Beijing of religious repression and massively curtailing rights in Tibet. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP) (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite the silence on Rubio’s requests, the companies affiliated with the IOC have previously voiced their commitment to support issues related to social justice.
“Our pledge as a company is that we will do our part to listen, learn and act,” reads a Coca-Cola statement on their commitment to social justice. “Our company must play a visible and proactive role in creating the change that is desperately needed. More progress must be made. It is our duty.”
The Daily Caller contacted Coca-Cola with a request for comment in regard to Rubio’s letter but did not receive a response.
Airbnb, one of the IOC’s most recent partners, stated one of its goals through the partnership includes “leav[ing] a legacy for the host community.”
“This innovative partnership underpins our strategy to ensure that the efficient staging of the Olympic Games is sustainable and leaves a legacy for the host community,” a statement on the partnership reads.
The company also states on its own site that it has “built a community based on our mission of connection and belonging.” Airbnb believes that all forms of hatred are antithetical to the company’s mission and that it presents “a threat to our Hosts, guests, employees, and the communities we serve.”
The Daily Caller contacted Airbnb with a request for comment but did not receive a response.
Founder Jack Ma of Alibaba, the Chinese tech and e-commerce company, said the partnership with the IOC is based on “shared values.”
“Alibaba’s partnership with the IOC is built on a foundation of shared values and a common vision for connecting the world and enriching people’s lives,” Ma said.
The Daily Caller contacted Alibaba with a request for comment but did not receive a response.
The auto parts manufacturing company Bridgestone claimed in a statement that its partnership with the IOC showcases “its commitment to community service, social responsibility, environmental stewardship and respect for diversity.”
“All tenets of the Olympic Charter that lie at the heart of the Bridgestone brand and its mission of ‘Serving Society with Superior Quality,’” the statement continued.
The Daily Caller contacted Bridgestone, and the other companies partnered with the IOC, with a request for comment but did not receive a response.
“As long as major corporations continue to turn a blind eye to human rights violations like the ones being carried out by the Chinese Communist Party, I’ll keep working to hold them accountable,” Rubio said in the statement to the Daily Caller.