Is it justifiable to hold the Olympic Games in a country where human rights are systematically violated? One hears immediately that this question is on Nevin Galmarini’s mind. «Apparently not all people are the same in China. And that affects me as an athlete,” he says on the SRF program “Club”.
We celebrate Olympic values like fair play in a country where not all people have the same rights.
Galmarini is an Olympic champion in alpine snowboarding and will be back at the games in about a week. “We celebrate Olympic values like fair play in a country where not everyone has the same rights.” As an athlete, that puts him in a personal dilemma.
For Christophe De Kepper, Director General of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic values can be reconciled with Chinese politics: “The IOC is not responsible for the human rights situation and all the problems that may exist in a candidate country,” says De Kepper «Club»: «Our responsibility is to organize a sporting event.»
Political scientist Ralph Weber believes that the fact that sport and politics can be so clearly separated is an illusion: “You can’t pretend it’s not a political project,” says the China expert. An organization like the IOC cannot work with an authoritarian state without allowing itself to be co-opted for the regime’s purposes.
Is it politics now?
China has been particularly criticized for the repression of the Uyghur minority. Around a million Uyghurs were locked up in so-called “re-education camps”. The IOC Director General does not want to condemn these violations of human rights, even when asked several times: “If the IOC were to do that, we would go onto the political stage – and then the organization of the games would no longer be possible.”
As long as business and politics do business with China, it is unfair to shift responsibility to the IOC and athletes.
Various governments such as those of the USA, Japan and Denmark are boycotting the games in Beijing. The Federal Council has decided to take part in the opening ceremony if the pandemic situation permits.
A Federal Councilor belongs to the opening ceremony, Federal President Cassis or the Minister of Sport.
Roland Rino Büchel, SVP National Councilor and foreign politician, would support participation: “There is a Federal Councilor at the opening ceremony, Federal President Cassis or the Minister of Sport.”
Switzerland must decide which side of history it wants to be on.
SP National Councilor Fabian Molina – like Büchel in the Foreign Affairs Committee – contradicts: He wants a boycott of the opening ceremony and thus a clear commitment against authoritarian regimes and for democracy: “Switzerland has to decide which side of history it wants to be on . We must finally show our colors in foreign policy.”
Nevin Galmarini would also like a solution at the political level – “and not on the athletes’ shoulders”. He himself will have to refrain from criticizing the games: Article 50 of the Olympic Charter prohibits him and all other athletes from expressing themselves politically at official ceremonies such as award ceremonies.