On December 8, 2021. Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison announced that, Australia will not send officials to February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Highlights

• With this move, Australia has joined a US diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics Games.
• Australia took this decision amid disagreement with China over several issues, ranging from Australia’s foreign interference laws to a move to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
• The Prime Minister also cited human rights abuses in the Xinjiang province as well as Beijing’s freeze on ministerial contact with Australia.

US decision on Winter Olympics

The United States took the decision to boycott the Games over China’s genocide of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses.