58% UK fans will watch less of Winter Olympics, suggest polls

By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 31: London-based polling agency Survation conducted an exclusive poll that found 58% of UK Olympic fans will most likely watch less of the Beijing Winter Olympics coverage, while 20% said that they will not watch at all, given the reports of human rights abuses by China. The survey asked 1046 sports fans if they would normally follow events on television or switch off the Winter Olympics in China or the Men’s football World Cup in Qatar, given the host country’s human rights record.

The agency carried out the polls exclusively for rights organization Free Tibet and found that the majority of both the groups said that they would watch less or none of the coverage, 15% of World Cup fans and 20% of Olympics fans said they would switch off completely. “The fans have spoken – they don’t want the sports they love to be used to whitewash the abuses of genocidal regimes, and they’re willing to switch off if necessary,” Free Tibet Campaigns manager John Jones said. Numerous right groups have called for a boycott or postponement of the Beijing games for the past year with numerous campaigns, urging sponsors and athletes to withdraw their participation from the ‘Genocide Games’.

Now with the Olympics only four days away, campaigners have called on sports fans to not tune into live broadcasts of the international games for the same ethical reasons. The introductory report stated that international profit-making institutions should also be held accountable for their decisions to stay silent over atrocities. “The IOC has shown time and again that it cares more about profit than the Olympic spirit, and it will happily play an active part in covering up human rights abuses like it has done with the Chinese government’s silencing of Peng Shuai,” Jones further remarked.

The International Olympics Committee has received heavy criticism following their decision to let Beijing host another Olympics after the 2008 Tibetan uprising. The IOC has also been accused of covering up for China following tennis player Shuai’s sexual harassment allegations against one of the former Vice-Premiers, Zhang Gaoli. “Fans want more sports bodies to follow the lead of brave organisations like the Women’s Tennis Association and withdraw from countries that don’t share their values,” Free Tibet wrote on their website.

Various rights groups of the #NoBeijing2022 campaign coalition are now carrying out the #IWillNotWatch campaign to encourage sports fans to pledge not to watch the Games, and make the general public more aware about the human rights situation in Tibet. China will now become the only country to have hosted both the summer and winter Olympics. The IOC still remains mute over the consequences of letting China host the global event despite the growing concerns of human rights abuses in Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan among other minorities.