Lots happening this week: Tokyo confirmed that overseas spectators would not be allowed to enter Japan for the Olympics this summer, leading to immediate questions over fans at the Beijing Olympics. Then, a number of brands put out statements on Xinjiang, angering Chinese consumers, and widening the discussion about activities in China in the build up to the Games.
Weekly Roundup
- Will overseas spectators be allowed at the Beijing Olympics?
- Global brands put out statements on Xinjiang – and face the backlash
- Boycott threats from around the world
- Other features and stories in the build-up to Beijing 2022
Foreign Fans or Not For Beijing?
As expected, Tokyo confirmed last weekend that fans would not be permitted to travel from overseas to watch the Olympics, limiting entrants to accredited participants, among which are athletes, coaches, officials, support staff and media. That’s already a lot of people, and Japan is still seeing up to 2,000 new COVID-19 cases each day, so the pandemic is far from under control there.
The IOC appeared clearly disappointed in the decision – for one thing, up to one million tickets will now have to be refunded – but made sure not to criticize the local Organizing Committee. Meanwhile, public opinion in Japan has been strongly against allowing overseas spectators, with officials there finally deciding the risk was “too great”.
So what does this mean for Beijing 2022, which is happening just half a year after Tokyo 2020? Will they follow suit or not? The prevailing western view is that China doesn’t really want any more pesky foreigners visiting than is absolutely necessary, and so could use the pandemic as an excuse to keep the border tightly shut (mirroring Tokyo). But I talked to several Chinese executives this week to get their thoughts and their opinion was quite different. Here’s a selection of what they said:
China will do everything it can to make sure Beijing 2022 outperforms Tokyo 2020 in this regard.
China’s priority is definitely to show it can handle the pandemic better than Japan.
It depends on the global vaccination situation nearer the time. But foreign athletes will not agree to a two-week quarantine period, so Beijing will have to find a way to accommodate that. If not, some of the athletes might choose to quit. But if there is a compromise towards allowing the athletes to have looser quarantine conditions, then spectators will be limited or banned altogether.
The Winter Olympics mainly takes place outdoors so spectators are less of a concern for the organizers.
It’s a tough decision to make – but I still believe overseas spectators will be allowed to attend.
Lots to chew on there – especially the age old rivalry with Japan – but a clear sense that overseas spectators will be allowed, and officials from around the world are now taking steps to prepare for that, even though it’s too early to finalize any logistics.
As I mentioned in an earlier update, it won’t be long before we get some clues as to how China plans to handle this, seeing as it is scheduled to host several international events (both sporting and otherwise) over the summer.
Wake Up and Smell the Cotton
The Chinese internet blew up this week after a statement by Swedish clothes brand H&M on the use of forced labor in China’s far-western Xinjiang re-emerged – eight months after it was first posted – apparently due to the recent EU sanctions on China. Several other brands, including Nike and Adidas, were then tagged by angry consumers online either for taking a similar public stance or seemingly for being part of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), which has highlighted this practice in Xinjiang.
It’s interesting that no one seemed to notice this when the statement was initially made last year (and it’s still unclear when Nike and others released their statements), but if there’s anything else out there, expect China’s army of web users to find it shortly. What’s clear, though, is that anything that is connected to any of China’s sensitive areas – Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet – quickly goes nuclear online in China once it’s highlighted. We saw that with the NBA issue a couple of years ago (search “Morey tweet” if you somehow missed that one), with Chinese consumers angry that a company would simultaneously try to take their money while being disrespectful about their country.
So what’s the Olympic angle? Well, it’s not directly related – international calls for an Olympic boycott have centered on reports of genocide in Xinjiang, not forced labor to pick cotton – but the pressure on companies to comply with public opinion is growing (see more below), with Olympic sponsor Airbnb the latest to feel the heat. The trouble is, public opinion in China vs the rest of the world (ROW) is diametrically opposed and, as of today, the ROW market >> China market, which is partly why companies release statements that they must know will piss off their Chinese customers, because their home markets are still more important. There are plenty of angles here – political, legal, moral, ethical etc – but from a purely corporate perspective, there are a number of tough questions and no easy answers. Unlike some other online storms we’ve seen here over the past few years, this won’t blow over any time soon. See also: ‘Naming and shaming’ latest strategy by rights groups seeking boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics [SCMP]
Boycott Watch
Senators continue to use the Olympics to get attention, with Republican Rick Scott – following Ted Cruz’s call last week – now calling on the 15 top-level Olympic sponsors not to endorse a boycott, but to move the Games entirely away from Beijing. Logistically, that’s a non-starter – where else but maybe Sochi could hold the Winter Olympics in less than one year’s time? – so it’s hard to see this as anything but a political point-scoring opportunity. I’d be willing to bet Scott doesn’t want the Olympics in Russia, either. But he won’t be the last one to get some media attention by pressing the issue in DC.
Meanwhile, US Representative Liz Cheney – daughter of former VP Dick – has added her name to the list if those who support a traditional US boycott of the Olympics. North of the border in Richmond, BC, the Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations (CACA) has taken out an ad opposing a Canadian boycott, though, as mentioned last week, that flies in the face of current public opinion, given the ongoing trials of the two Canadian Michaels in China. See also: Inside Growing Calls to Boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics [Morning Brew], Dump the 2022 China Winter Olympic Games (Kinda) [KMJNow], Don’t Boycott the Beijing Olympics [The Michigan Review]
Other Stories and Links
- Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission chair Samaranch sees benefit of six-month gap to Tokyo 2020 [insidethegames]
- Shaun White’s latest plans on his Olympic return for 2022 [Forbes]
- A Year From the 2022 Olympics, Winter Sports in India is Still a Work in Progress [Vice]
- Eileen Gu reflects on swapping US for China, from receiving death threats to inspiring a new generation [SCMP]
- Athletes need more say in major issues, not boycotts, says Rapinoe [Reuters]
- Making magic, and making it work: Sui and Han’s partnership with choreographer Nichol [NBC Sports]
- Beijing to improve international language environment for Winter Olympics [Xinhua]
- High hopes on the slopes [China Daily]
- Beauty of Chinese culture highlighted in Winter Olympics [Xinhua]
See also:
- 46 Weeks To Go: Romney Speaks Out & Vaccine Spin
- 47 Weeks To Go: Vaccine Diplomacy & Fading Medal Hopes
- 48 Weeks To Go: Counter-Attacks & Paralympic Prep
- 49 Weeks To Go: Testing, Testing, Testing
- 50 Weeks To Go: Corporate Conundrums & Olympic Agendas
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FYI, I just found my Beijing Olympics hotel for the exact dates I needed, 6 nights in the YANQING & ZHANGJIAKOU mountain clusters and 5 nights in Beijing in the more luxurious Ritz-Carlton…