Athletes would still be allowed to partake come February.<\/b>
\nThe Biden administration is expected to announce a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics later this week in response to China\u2019s human rights record \u2014 a move that would bar U.S. officials from attending, sending a symbolic message while still allowing American athletes to compete. A diplomatic boycott has bipartisan support, including from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some Republicans who initially advocated for a complete boycott. The last full boycott by the U.S. was in 1980 when President Jimmy Carter withdrew from the Summer Games in Moscow over the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan. High-level diplomatic delegations typically attend the Olympics, including when President George W. Bush visited Beijing for the 2008 Summer Games. Zhao described the potential boycott by the White House as \u201ca stain on the spirit of the Olympic charter\u201d and said the U.S. \u201cshould stop politicizing sports.\u201d The anticipated decision by the Biden administration comes as China has faced intense international pressure over the treatment of tennis star Peng Shuai, who was censored on social media after coming forward with sexual assault allegations against a high-ranking Communist Party leader earlier this year. Last week the Women\u2019s Tennis Association announced it was suspending all its upcoming tournaments in China and Hong Kong, with the organization\u2019s CEO saying, \u201cI don\u2019t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault.\u201d Days later the Association of Tennis Professionals said it would not be joining the WTA in suspending its activities, a move criticized by some in the sport. The Winter Games are scheduled to begin in February without any foreign spectators and with athletes and staff subject to daily testing, according to Reuters. Late last month Zhao said the emergence of the new omicron coronavirus variant \u201cwill definitely pose some challenge to our efforts to prevent and control the virus\u201d but that he \u201cfully\u201d believes China will be able to host the Olympics \u201cas scheduled, smoothly and successfully.\u201d \u201c Biden administration expected to announce diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics this week \u201d (CNN) \u201c US expected to announce diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing \u201d (NBC News) \u201c China threatens countermeasures if U.S. boycotts Beijing Olympics \u201d (Reuters) \u201c China attacks potential US diplomatic boycott of Olympics \u201d (Associated Press) \u201c Here\u2019s The Growing List Of Countries Weighing A Diplomatic Boycott Of The Beijing Olympics \u201d ( Forbes) \u201c U.S. Is \u2018Considering\u2019 Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics, Biden Says \u201d ( New York Times)<\/p>\n