Last week, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., sent a letter to President Joe Biden ahead of the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
In his letter, Scott again demanded that the president join his call to move the games from Communist China, noting that the regime is “committing genocide and blatant human rights abuses,” and urged the games be moved to a country that respects human rights.
Scott called on Biden to outline his plan to protect the safety and personal information of American athletes and team members from Communist China’s invasive surveillance, including data and DNA collection under the guise of COVID protocol.
Eight months ago, Scott sent a letter to Biden requesting a meeting to discuss the horrific human rights atrocities occurring across Communist China and emphasizing the Senator’s continued calls for the International Olympic Committee to select a new site for the 2022 Winter Olympics Games.
Scott’s letter, which was sent on Thursday, is below.
Dear President Biden,
For more than a year and half, I have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the 2022 Winter Olympic Games out of Communist China and to a country that respects human rights. I have also consistently called on corporate sponsors of the IOC and NBCUniversal, which has exclusive streaming rights to the games, to use their platform to also call on the IOC to move the games and condemn Communist China’s genocide of Uyghurs and attacks on democracy in Hong Kong. I know you are aware of my work to move the games because I wrote to you in February detailing these critical human rights issues and requesting that you join me in this call and condemn Beijing’s abuses. Unfortunately, you chose to stay silent and have refused to take action.
Today, with the games a mere four months away, we cannot afford to waste any more time with inaction.
The United States must be unapologetically committed to human rights. What we have seen in Communist China, sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party, cannot be ignored. As President, you have the platform to lead the world in calling for Communist China to be denied the reward of hosting the Olympics and forcing it to answer for its genocide against the Uyghurs and other human rights atrocities. Sadly, you chose weakness and appeasement, shirked this moral responsibility to stand for the oppressed and cowered to Communist China in a moment that required courage and integrity.
With the games approaching, I am again demanding that you stand up against the clear danger posed by Communist China. Given your administration’s actions in Afghanistan, which purposely left American citizens behind enemy lines and took the lives of 13 brave U.S. service members, you lack the credibility to ensure the protection of Americans abroad. It is essential that you use your office and all tools available to the U.S. government to ensure the safety of our athletes and all Americans participating in the Olympic Games.
Under the guise of COVID-19 protections, Beijing is already limiting spectator attendance to only Chinese citizens, and will attempt to steal American athletes’ biological data and personal information. Communist China will surveil the internet and social media usage of American athletes. The U.S. Department of State is already warning Americans from travelling to Communist China because of the Party’s arbitrary enforcement of laws and wrongful detention; what will stop General Secretary Xi from deciding to arrest American athletes?
In March, a member of Team USA women’s skiing team and gold medalist said that athletes should not have to choose between their morals and participating in the games, and that hosting the games in cities like Beijing unnecessarily puts athletes in morally compromising positions. I couldn’t agree more. This free speech is the type of language Communist China punishes people for. We cannot allow that to happen to our American athletes abroad.
In light of the upcoming games, I request your immediate response to the following questions:
- What is your administration’s plan to ensure the safety of American athletes and coaches participating in the 2022 Olympic Games?
- Will you ensure all COVID-19 testing conducted on American athletes is administrated by American personnel?
- How will you ensure that all American athletes’ communications will not be subject to Chinese law and censorship?
- What commitments, if any, has the Chinese Communist Party made to the U.S. government about the health and safety of the U.S. delegation and American athletes and coaches?
- How will your administration use the 2022 Olympic Games as an opportunity to educate the American public on Communist China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet and across its mainland?
Now is the time for America to lead by example, and I urge you to confront the threat Communist China poses to the United States. Our athletes, and the American Olympic delegation, are hoping to achieve their dreams on the world stage in the upcoming Olympic Games and their safety and security is paramount.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Author
