Tibetan Activists Express Betrayal by International Olympic Committee 

Elle van der Cam

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

This past Friday, the 26th of November 2021, Tibetan activists and supporters gathered in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland (Dolma, 2021). As a form of protest, they held a mock funeral for the IOC, having a prop coffin with the rings of the IOC and the dates ‘1894-2021’ illustrated on the top. This represents their complete dismay at the IOC’s disregard of China’s human rights violations, and announces the ‘death of the Olympic Committee’ with hope that one day it returns as an improved institution (Dolma, 2021). This message follows the No Beijing 2022 campaign, supported by over 180 rights groups calling for the boycott of the event. The IOC is accused of having betrayed ethnic minorities through its inaction, corruption and willingness to side with the Chinese Communist Party by approving Beijing as a host. Activists claim China is using the Olympics to distract from the human rights abuses and further marginalize ethnic minorities, echoing the events of the 2008 Olympics which increasingly closed Tibetans off from the world.

Sources and further reading:

IOC betrays Tibetans, Uighurs and Hong Kongers, stands with China: Tibetan activists, Dolma, 27 November 2021, https://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/43-international/7158-ioc-betrays-tibetans,-uighurs-and-hong-kongers,-stands-with-china-tibetan-activists