"The government has decided that we will not participate in the Winter Olympics in China (...). It is no secret that we in Denmark are very concerned about the human rights situation in China," Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said in a statement to AFP.
This decision came after a European meeting in which "unfortunately it is not possible to reach an agreement between the 27 countries. Different choices have been made as to the way forward", explained the head of diplomacy.
On the other hand, the Danish athletes will participate well in the competitions.
"Danish athletes can count on the full support of the government. And we will encourage them, as we always do," continued Jeppe Kofod.
"But we will do it from home, not from the stands in Beijing," he added.
Before Denmark, the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom had decided on a "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing Winter Olympics to denounce human rights violations in China, particularly in its region. predominantly Muslim in Xinjiang (Northwest).
Japan also announced that it would not send government representatives.
Neighboring Sweden announced earlier this week that no official representative would participate in the Olympics ceremonies, this time because of the pandemic.
© 2022 AFP