Sébastien Le Belzic, edited by Solène Delinger 9:22 a.m., January 21, 2022, modified at 9:27 a.m., January 21, 2022
Two more weeks before the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
China is therefore preparing on the health level by intensifying its zero Covid policy, but also on the political level.
The authorities do not want these Games to turn into a political platform.
The athletes were therefore asked to be quiet.
The start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing will be given in just two weeks.
As the event approaches, the Chinese authorities are therefore preparing in terms of health with a zero Covid policy, but not only.
They fear that athletes will use the Games to criticize China.
The athletes were therefore asked to be quiet.
Diplomatic boycott
With the pandemic, this is the other big threat of these Beijing Olympics.
Several countries, including the United States, Britain, Japan and Australia, have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games due to human rights abuses in China.
A boycott that does not concern athletes.
>> Find the morning of the day in replay and podcast here
So the IOC advised them to hold their tongues on pain of sanctions.
A message supported by the spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy: "The International Olympic Committee has issued a statement on the ban on political demonstrations and asks athletes not to protest at Olympic sites or podiums. We hope that some media won't take it out of context and turn it into malicious hype to attack China."
Sanitary pass that would spy on conversations
Athletes will therefore be placed under close surveillance, including on their mobile phones.
According to a Canadian research laboratory, the application serving as a health pass for participants has security flaws allowing conversations to be eavesdropped.
China claims to have fixed them, but several countries are advising their delegations to use only disposable devices.