I remember it well. It was 2008, and among the bookshelves in my library were signs for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics—promoting books related to the place, I suppose. SBeing the suppressed twelve-year-old activist I was at that point, I proceeded to turn the sign on its face, covering the icon of the games that I believed represented such evil in our world. In my mind, the responsibility China had in encouraging the genocide in Darfur was all too much to handle, making my stomach churn. The Olympic Games were intended to exist as a symbol of global collaboration and harmony, not a representation of self-interest and violence. Now, I couldn’t watch them. 

So, after I flipped over the sign, I scuttled away with a ray of hope. Maybe my action would make a difference. I can tell you, it didn’t. All it got me was a glare from a librarian and some disapproving words, ones not open for discussion. So when I heard that the Chinese government was once again vying for the chance to be the host for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games—against Kazakhstan’s Almaty—I thought it be wise to make another argument against Chinese involvement in such a momentous game. After all, the mission of the International Olympic Committee is to promote the Olympic spirit throughout the world. In fact, one of the committee’s expressed roles is “to cooperate with the competent public or private organisations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace.” How, then, could China possibly be a viable candidate?

Beginning in 2003, the Sudanese government began a campaign of genocide against its own people with the help of international backers like China. According to United to End Genocide, some 300,000 people have perished in the conflict, and another three million have been displaced. Although not directly complicit in the genocide, the Chinese government has been accused of helping the Sudanese government fuel its military campaign. Panorama TV programme, an affiliate of the BBC, found an exported batch of military trucks from China to Sudan in 2005. BBC was also informed that the Chinese were training fighter pilots to use Chinese A5 Fantan fighter jets in Darfur. 

The country funneled some $83 million in weapons, aircrafts and spare parts to the genocidal government in exchange for Sudanese oil in 2005, according to an Amnesty International report. Not only was this a shady business deal  it also violated the U.N. arms embargo on Darfur.

The lack of response by China led to international reproach, ultimately affecting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During the games, athletes and observers alike sported armbands and held banners against the Chinese government’s actions in Darfur. Others protested at Chinese embassies. 

Some, like director Steven Spielberg chose to pull out of the games entirely. He had been an adviser to the games but chose to leave the position, expressing, “My conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual.” Our consciences were only mildly alerted when we heard about this country’s role in the first genocide of the 21st century. We shouldn’t allow China to host such an esteemed international event again. China will always be China. 

Today, China’s human rights record continues to present other challenges spanning from longstanding violations in its own backyard to emerging conflicts in the Middle East. Beijing’s bid to host the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was met by criticism from a coalition of 175 Tibetan activist groups citing greater suppression of rights by the Chinese government in a report to its president Thomas Bach. They concluded that the repression of Tibetans is “currently at an all-time-high” and wanted him to avoid “making the same mistake twice.” 

Tibet is considered a semi-autonomous region by the Chinese government. However, Tibetans have been fighting for their independence following the territory’s occupation in 1950, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and led to the torture and imprisonment of many more. In 1959, the Dalai Lama was exiled from the country. 

Since the occupation of the country by communist China, more than 99 percent of Tibet’s monasteries have been closed by the Chinese government. The Tibetan language is also stifled, as Mandarin has largely replaced Tibetan in secondary school, and all entrance exams are in the language. 

If that isn’t enough, Tibet ranked 7 on a scale of one to seven (with “one” being the most free and “seven” being the least free) on a Freedom House 2013 report which cited “communication blackouts, ‘patriotic education’ campaigns, travel restrictions and intrusive new controls on monasteries.” These actions were taken in response to increasing protests by Tibetans, including 84 self-immolations against Chinese Communist rule. 

China not only has no qualms about oppressing those in other parts of the world for resources, it has none about oppressing their own neighbors. How can we allow China to be the global host for such a significant world event that prevails as a symbol for world peace and global collaboration, especially when China’s government is so bent on breaking down and destroying Tibet’s? 

Today I choose to take a different approach. Instead of merely flipping over a sign calling for the end of something, we need to actively call on the IOC to prevent Beijing from once again hosting these games. 

The purpose of the Olympics is to promote global collaboration, peace and a sharing of culture. The games shouldn’t serve as a place where self-interest and violence entrench these values. In 2022, I plan on watching the Olympics in the hopes they are held outside of China.