The Olympic games have always been marketed  as an event that unites countries that might have conflicting geo political views. It’s always been about the hero stories; Athletes who overcame all odds to win an award or get recognition on television. The games, however, are also a large money maker and wealth attracts corruption. 

Last month, Beijing hosted the world’s 24th winter olympic games. This comes at a time when China is facing widespread criticism for their treatment of  the Uyghurs, their aggression toward Taiwan, and countless other controversies. Because of these conflicts, the Biden administration decided to diplomatically boycott the games (meaning that no one from the administration would attend as a guest but that athletes would still be able to compete) (Dennis and Maizland) and many other countries like Japan and Germany followed suit.

 Still, why hold the supposedly most uniting event of the year in a country planning an invation and participating in a genocide? The organization that controls the location and all logistics of the games is the International Olympic Committee (The IOC). The IOC is a supposedly non-profit international committee that is responsible for running the bidding on location selection, selecting games, enforcing rules, and governing the athletic body of the olympics. “Unlike most nonprofits, the IOC does not receive donations or grants, instead relying primarily on broadcasting and licensing deals for money. NBC paid $7.7 billion for the broadcasting rights to show the Olympic Games through 2032” (ROPPE) This extreme amount of wealth poured into the games makes their ‘success’ vital for those who run them. “Because the Olympics take place on an international stage, it is not surprising that they have been plagued by the nationalism, manipulation, and propaganda associated with world politics’ ‘ (“Olympic Games – Corruption”) This corruption has led us to our current position. The Olympics were held in a country by a government  that’s values directly oppose those of the games themselves. 

Most of us watching aren’t aware of the political corruption behind the ski jumps and under the ice but it’s important that we become more aware that it’s there. We can’t let corruption and human rights abuses go unpunished in the name of sports. The games are home to some of the greatest and most memorable moments in sports history. In order to protect the games and ensure that they continue, we have to acknowledge the corruption behind them and react. 

Works Cited

de Guzman, Chad. “IOC: Olympic Athletes Free to Express Opinions at Beijing Olympics.” TIME, 10 December 2021, https://time.com/6127384/olympics-china-freedom-speech/. Accessed 1 March 2022.

Dennis, Patrick, and Lindsay Maizland. “The Debate Over Boycotting the 2022 Beijing Olympics.” Council on Foreign Relations, 6 December 2021, https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/debate-over-boycotting-2022-beijing-olympics. Accessed 1 March 2022.

“How Many Olympics Have There Been? – WorldAtlas.” World Atlas, 16 November 2017, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-many-olympics-have-there-been.html. Accessed 1 March 2022.

“Olympic Games – Corruption.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/sports/Olympic-Games/Corruption. Accessed 1 March 2022.

ROPPE, SOPHIE. “Progress Without Profit: The IOC benefits itself at the expense of athletes.” Daily Trojan, 16 August 2021, https://dailytrojan.com/2021/08/16/progress-without-profit-the-ioc-benefits-itself-at-the-expense-of-athletes/. Accessed 1 March 2022.