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Transcript/ScriptChina-Olympics-Hurdles
HEADLINE: Beijing Olympics Open Amid Hurdles
TEASER: COVID-19, accusations of human rights abuses dog 2022 Beijing Games
PUBLISHED: 02/02/2022 at 8:15am
BYLINE: Penelope Poulou
DATELINE: Washington
PRODUCER: Penelope Poulou
SCRIPT EDITORS: Holly Franko, Mia Bush, djones on balance
VIDEO SOURCE (S) Zoom; AP; Reuters; YouTube,
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 4:17
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: [[Penelope confirms she used Zoom properly.]]
((INTRO))
[[The 2022 Beijing Olympics kick off on Friday. But even before the opening ceremony, these Games face some hurdles. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more.]]
((NATs))
“The International Olympic Committee has the honor to announce the host city of the Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing!”
((NARRATOR))
Ninety one nations participate in the Beijing Olympics with a total of 109 events across 15 sports.
((Mandatory Courtesy: AP))
In Beijing, Olympic officials have imposed strict protocols to prevent the spread of Covid. Tickets will not be sold to the public. Beijing has announced a “closed loop” system where athletes and others involved in the Olympics will work, compete, eat and sleep without coming into contact with the general public. All vaccinated participants can move freely in Games-related areas by a dedicated transport system. Unvaccinated athletes will have to spend 21 days in quarantine ahead of the Games. Domestic and international participants will be tested daily.
((Mandatory Courtesy: Reuters))
But COVID-19 is not the only hurdle for the Beijing Olympics. According to the Washington Post, a coalition of international activists has pressed for a boycott of what they are calling the “#2022Genocide Olympics,” citing China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China’s northern province of Xinjiang.
((NATs))
((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary))
“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses.”
((Mandatory Courtesy: CCTV+)) ((YouTube))
((NARRATOR))
According to China’s state-owned broadcaster CCTV, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin criticized the politicization of the Beijing Olympics.
((NAT))
((Mandatory Courtesy: CCTV+)) ((YouTube))
((Wang Wenbin, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman))
“Sports have nothing to do with politics. The Olympics is a great gathering for the many athletes and sports fans, not a stage for political posturing.”
((NARRATOR))
Despite the global outcry against Beijing’s human rights abuses, neither the apolitical International Olympic Committee nor NBCU, the Olympics’ exclusive broadcaster in the U.S., will take a stand against Beijing, says Andrew Zimbalist, professor of economics at Smith College.
((Mandatory cg Zoom))
((Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College Professor of Economics))
“They all have massive investments in these Games, and they want them to come off well. They need to cooperate with each other. “
((NARRATOR))
Zimbalist, who has published several books on the economics of the Olympic Games, points out that China wields great influence on international markets, which do not want to ruffle Beijing’s feathers.
((Mandatory cg Zoom))
((Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College Professor of Economics))
“On the one hand, you have markets like the United States, where people want you to be uttering phrases and following policies that are congruent with human values. On the
other hand, you've got a country that's violating those values. But you're selling 15 billion dollars of goods to them every year or you actually have an investment as a partner in some of their activities. And so how you steer course in between those two things, it's delicate, but companies will make concessions in order to keep China on their side.”
((Mandatory Courtesy: Reuters))
((b-roll))
((NARRATOR))
According to Variety.com, “NBCU is facing a huge challenge of attracting eyeballs to the event,” not only because of China’s human rights violations, but also because six months after the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, spectators are going through what it calls “Olympic Games fatigue.”
((Mandatory courtesy Zoom))
((Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College Professor of Economics))
“Clearly, there was a reduced viewership in Tokyo … whenever the Games are held on the other side of the world from the United States, it means there's a timing issue so that when you're watching the competition generally, you're not watching it live. You don't want to find out the result of something that happened 12 hours earlier.”
((NARRATOR))
However, Zimbalist says, most viewers do not bring a political mindset to the questions of whether they are going to follow the Olympic Games. They do it, he says, for the thrill of the Games, the competition and the teams they root for.
Penelope Poulou
NewsML Media TopicsSport, Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Topic TagsOlympics-Hurdles
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateFebruary 2, 2022 18:26 EST
BylinePenelope Poulou
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
