By Vivian Zhu
W
ith the 2022 Winter Olympics coming to a close, we can’t deny that this year’s Olympics felt different from years previous. Even considering the trials and tribulations brought on by COVID-19 during the Tokyo Summer Olympics, something about the Beijing Winter Olympics felt off as it became an extremely politicized event. Many countries have resolved to diplomatically boycott this year’s Olympics because of the human rights issues that China has failed to address. These issues mainly concern China’s determination in oppressing the Uyghur population in China, while denying their actions on all fronts. The consequence of holding the Olympics in Beijing this year meant that instead of the spotlight being focused on the hard-working athletes who have waited four years for this opportunity, it turns the attention to the Chinese government and international relations.
Along with this distraction, an increasing amount of sinophobia can be seen through the criticism of specific ChineseAmerican athletes. The unfortunate amount of anti-Asian/ Chinese sentiment that surged since the beginning of the pandemic has led Americans (and other nationalities) fail to distinguish the difference between the Chinese government and its people or culture. Eileen Gu, the 18 year-old Asian American skier who earned two gold medals for China has been criticized for choosing to represent a country that she was not born and raised in. This drew a lot of criticism because many could not wrap their heads around why Gu chose to represent an authoritarian government that infringes on human rights. What manypeople do not realize is that Gu is ethnically Chinese, so Image from USA Today
8 ASIAN OUTLOOK
