On 4th February 2022, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, cities across the world held a Global day of action protests to boycott the Games.
In New Delhi, Tibetan Youth Congress along with Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Delhi, Samyeling and Rohini organized a protest Rally at Teen Murti Chowk, denouncing the Beijing Winter Olympics and demanding a Free Tibet. More than 70 protestors joined the peaceful protest and 6 got detained at the Mandir Marg Police Station. The venue is just a few meters away from the Chinese Embassy, in New Delhi.
Below is the press statement handed over to the media by the office of the Central Executive Committee, Tibetan Youth Congress:
The Olympic game is a game of glory and an opportunity for sportsmen and women to share the spirit of love and friendship and promote peaceful solutions to the conflicting issues around the world in a fair and friendly manner. But this time it is hosted in Beijing, China – a country that has a record for its Human Rights Violations and for committing genocide of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and others who are colonized and controlled under an oppressive and repressive system. It is hosted by a regime that continues to commit gross Human Rights violations in Tibet and continues to demolish and destroy the monastic institutions down to ashes.
Recently, before a month countdown to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese government forcefully demolished a 99-foot Buddha statue and burned down 45 prayer wheels amid a wave of ongoing demolitions in Drago and other parts of Tibet. And the CCP continues to detain and imprison Tibetans for expressing their disapproval of the hard-line policies and inhuman treatment.
The situation in Tibet has sharply deteriorated since the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and an alarming number of Tibetans continue to die in custody under Chinese authorities and many have burned themselves in protest against China.
The brutal policies of the Chinese government are increasingly being recognized by the diplomatic boycotts from countries including the US, Lithuania, New Zealand, Scotland, Belgium, Taiwan, Australia, UK, Canada, Kosovo, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Portugal.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics run a serious risk of legitimizing these abuses. Despite the increasing abuses against Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hongkongers, Taiwanese, and Inner Mongolians, China has faced no challenge from the IOC.
Therefore, we urge the international community and world leaders to condemn the IOC’s complicity in sports washing crime against humanity and to make China accountable for not only posing a threat to the survival of Tibetan culture and identity but also for posing a strategic and security threat to the free nations of the world.
We believe Olympians are people of conscience who are committed to the Olympic Charter and its Fundamental Principles of Olympism that include a focus on “the harmonious development of humankind, “promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity”, and rights and freedoms for all “secured without discrimination of any kind.”
Therefore, we urge and appeal to the participating athletes to show their support and solidarity to our fight for the just cause by returning the blood-stained Medal that has cost countless lives, a medal made up of the minerals extracted by exploiting the rich natural resources of the Tibetan plateau and a medal known for the history of oppressions.
We, therefore call to commit the boycott of the winter 2022 Beijing Olympics and to make China Accountable for the appalling rights abuses and crackdowns on dissent.
In McLeod Ganj, TYC along with four major NGOs organized a press conference and a day-long hunger strike at McLeod Ganj Square, Dharamshala to condemn the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The five Tibetan NGOs have joined international rights groups representing Tibet, East Turkestan, Hong Kong, Southern Mongolia, and Taiwan as a part of Global Day of Action, 4th January 2022, marking a one-month countdown to the genocide Beijing Olympics 2022 in McLeod Ganj.