Canada joins the list of countries that will implement the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this, explaining how his country will follow in the footsteps of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom who have announced the boycott in recent days.
No British ministers will be present at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on 4 February. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed this today, defining “effectively” the absence of government representatives a diplomatic boycott. Johnson thus replied to the House of Commons on question time whether the UK would follow the example of other countries.
South Korea, on the other hand, is not considering a diplomatic boycott: according to an official of the Seoul presidency, quoted anonymously by Yonhap, the country is still undecided on the issue. The official made his remarks when, during a briefing, he was asked about the announcement of the US government on the diplomatic boycott of the Games next February due to human rights violations in China. The United States, the official explained, informed South Korea about their move, reporting that Seoul has not decided to join the American initiative.
“No decision has been taken on the participation of our government” in the Olympics, he explained on the point. In response to the US announcement, the South Korean government reiterated its principled support for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, again expressing the hope that “they will contribute to peace and inter-Korean relations”. The administration of President Moon Jae-in, in fact, hopes for a turning point in the efforts to revitalize the peace process on the Korean peninsula by taking the opportunity of Beijing 2022, as happened at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, hosted by South Korea. .