theBreaker.news Podcast: 'Can a diplomatic and consumer boycott of the Beijing 2022 Olympics cause change?'

Less than two months until the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the most-controversial since Germany hosted the 1936 Winter and Summer Games under Adolf Hitler.

The International Olympic Committee is content to see the 2022 Games go on, as scheduled, under the leadership of Xi Jinping. The Chinese Communist Party head refuses to cooperate with investigations on the Wuhan origin of the novel coronavirus. Xi resists international calls to free Uyghur Muslims. Xi has trampled on Hong Kongers’ freedom of speech and is threatening to invade Taiwan.

On this edition of theBreaker.news Podcast, host Bob Mackin welcomes Hong Kong Watch co-founder and journalist Benedict Rogers.

Rogers says there should not only be a diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022, but a consumer boycott.

“They should boycott the corporate sponsors of the Games,” Rogers said.

It is too late to move the Games. What about the athletes?

“This is a huge event in their careers, they’ve trained for a long time for it, but I would appeal to athletes to examine their own consciences — and I think it is a matter of conscience for each individual athlete,” Rogers said. “Those who decide courageously to pull out, I think, should be applauded. Those who decide to participate should think about what they can do to use the platform that they have as public personalities, as athletes following the Games. Of course, they shouldn’t do anything in China, because that could be dangerous for them.”

Listen to the full interview with Benedict Rogers.

The full interview with Benedict Rogers was broadcasted on theBreaker.news on 5 December, 2021.