RI Lawmaker Calls For U.S. Diplomatic Boycott Of Beijing Olympics

PROVIDENCE, RI — One of Rhode Island's top lawmakers is calling for the U.S. to boycott the upcoming Winter Olympics, which are set to kick off in Beijing, China in February. Congressman Jim Langevin, who co-chairs the Congressional Olympics and Paralympics caucus, voiced concerns about human rights violations in the Chinese regime.

"The world must not stand idly by as the Chinese Communist Party commits genocide against the Uyghurs and continues its brutal crackdown in Tibet and Hong Kong," Langevin said. "The Chine government's violent, anti-democratic actions go against every Olympic and Paralympic value that we hold dear."

The Rhode Island lawmaker went on to say that sending U.S. dignitaries to the games would "legitimize the Chinese Communist Party's grave civil and human rights abuses."

President Joe Biden is "considering" a diplomatic boycott, the New York Times reported last week. Should that happen, athletes would not be barred from competing.

The last time the U.S. boycotted the Olympic Games was 1980, under President Jimmy Carter. The U.S. was one of 65 countries that chose not to compete in Moscow due to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, according to the State Department.