Open Letter to the U.S. Olympic Committee
April 15, 2021
Initiated by the Current Risk Committee: China and Women’s Rights Without Borders, more than 100 organizations including Women’s Rights in China jointly initiated an open letter to stop the CCP genocide campaign, calling on the U.S Olympic Committee to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.
Ms. Susanne Lyons
Chairman
U.S. Olympic Committee
27 S Tejon St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Re: Stop the 2022 Genocide Games
Dear Ms. Lyons:
In 1936, the Olympic Games were held in Berlin, Germany. Predictably, they proved to be an enormous propaganda windfall for Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, affording it unwarranted international prestige, legitimacy and credibility. Arguably, these benefits served as a smokescreen for the horrific crimes against humanity that the Nazi regime subsequently unleashed in its genocidal Holocaust against 6 million Jews and in the course of the world war Hitler precipitated.
Today, we are confronting another totalitarian regime actively engaging in, among crimes against humanity, another genocide. Yet, as of now, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and its international counterpart are preparing to enable the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to receive and exploit a propaganda bonanza that will make what the Nazis enjoyed pale by comparison. That must not happen.
As you know, the United States government has determined that the CCP is genocidally oppressing millions of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the region of western China they call East Turkistan and the Chinese Communists have branded Xinjiang. At least one million of these victims are incarcerated in scores of concentration camps, some replete with crematoria, where they are being brainwashed, raped, forcibly aborted and sterilized, tortured, organ-harvested and forced to perform slave labor. Is that acceptable to the U.S. Olympic Committee? Would your organization want to be associated with, let alone be seen as condoning, such barbaric behavior?
The U.S. government has prohibited the importation of cotton produced in East Turkistan lest American consumers unwittingly support the CCP’s slave labor practices. Western companies in China that are complying with this requirement – including some that are sponsors of the 2022 Beijing Olympics – are being punished by the Chinese government for such compliance. Does the U.S. Olympic Committee really want to side with China’s slave-masters?
That would especially be the case since the PRC has given no indication that it will abandon the genocidal oppression of Uyghurs and others, let alone dismantle the massive infrastructure used for this purpose. Rather, the CCP will no doubt exploit the “Genocide Games” as proof that the world is indifferent to, if not actually implicitly endorsing, its crimes against humanity.
If the Chinese Communist Party’s systematic oppression of those enslaved in its Captive Nations – including not only Uyghurs, but Tibetans, Southern Mongolians and the people of Hong Kong – were not bad enough, countless millions of Chinese citizens are also victims of the CCP. China employs the world’s most comprehensive state surveillance and a repressive “social credit system” to ensure their submission. Were a Beijing Olympics to occur next year, athletes, international staff and visitors would all be subjected to these invasive and coercive totalitarian techniques, as well.
In addition, Olympians would effectively be legitimating the CCP’s assiduous persecution of millions of religious believers. Millions of Chinese Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and Muslims are among those who have been subjected to CCP imprisonment, torture and executions in the last several decades.
Then there is the matter of the Chinese Communist Party’s involuntary extraction of vital organs. Eminent international human rights experts have found that forced organ harvesting is taking place in the PRC on an industrial scale. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of China’s own people, ethnic and religious minorities and prisoners of conscience have been murdered to profit the CCP. Is the U.S. Olympic Committee willing to associate with the perpetrators of these crimes?
The CCP is the perpetrator of the murderous One Child Policy, through which they have “prevented” 400 million lives through forced abortion, involuntary sterilization, forced contraception and infanticide. Because of son preference, tens of millions of baby girls have been selectively aborted. Forced abortion and sex-selective abortion continue in China under the Two Child Policy. There are now 30 to 40 million more men living in China than women, leading to rampant sex trafficking, forced marriage and sexual slavery. Is it fair to female athletes to force them to compete on Chinese soil, where females are rampantly subjected to the most violent forms of sexual violence?
Communist China is also guilty of unrivaled environmental predations, to the great detriment of both its own people’s health and safety and those of others downwind or downstream from, for example, the CCP’s toxic pollution, damning of rivers and devastating overfishing of international waters. Is your Committee prepared to ignore such irresponsible conduct, to say nothing of subjecting American athletes, USOC personnel and attendees to China’s potentially hazardous environmental conditions?
Finally, holding the 2022 Olympics in Beijing would amount to a vindication of the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to avoid responsibility for the ongoing, murderous coronavirus pandemic that emanated from Wuhan and was then deliberately spread around the world, thanks to the PRC allowing international flights to continue after severely restricting domestic travel. Again, the question occurs: Does the USOC wish to be remembered as standing with the millions of American and other victims of the CCP virus or with those who unleashed it?
For all these reasons, we – the undersigned members of the Committee on the Present Danger: China and leaders of the international human rights community who also stand against the Chinese Communists’ ongoing genocide and other crimes – call upon the U.S. Olympic Committee to lead an urgent international effort to relocate the 2022 Winter Games to another venue in this country or elsewhere, providing a “Freedom Olympics” alternative to the “Genocide Olympics.” Failing that, you are on notice that we will bend every effort to boycott the Games.
We remind you that the 2020 Olympic Charter states: “The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” Honoring arguably the greatest human rights abuser in the world with the privilege of hosting the Olympics runs directly counter to the Olympic Charter. Holding the Games in Beijing does a tremendous disservice to athletes, who do not want their desire to prove themselves the world’s best to be put in the service of the world’s worst oppressors.
Moreover, under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, to which both China and the United States are parties, the official designation of CCP genocide by the U.S. government requires that we “punish” the offending regime. Specifically, Article 1 of that binding international treaty states: “The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.”
We are, therefore, obliged at a minimum not to reward the Chinese Communist Party with hosting perhaps the most prestigious international event in the world. Instead, we should recognize the CCP as the Transnational Criminal Organization it is and treat it accordingly.
Please advise us at the earliest possible moment whether you and the rest of the U.S. Olympic Committee will stand with us or with the genocidal Chinese Communist Party. If we do not hear within ten days of the date of this letter that you are pressing the IOC to move the Games, we will press for a boycott.
Sincerely,
Brian Kennedy
Chairman
Committee on the Present Danger: China
Reggie Littlejohn
Founder and President
Women’s Rights Without Frontiers
cc:
International Olympic Committee
President Joe Biden
Vice President Kamala Harris
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
National Security Advisor to the President Jake Sullivan
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member James Risch
House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Greg Meeks
House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Michael McCaul
Tom Lantos Commission
International Religious Freedom Caucus
Congressional-Executive Commission on China
Worldwide Corporate Sponsors of the 2022 Olympics:
Airbnb
Alibaba Group
Allianz
Atos
Bridgestone
Coca-Cola
Dow Chemical
General Electric
Intel
Omega
Panasonic
Proctor & Gamble
Samsung
Toyota
Visa, Inc.
Additional Signatories: (110 Signatures)
- Carrie Abbott, President, The Legacy Institute
- Theodore Baehr, Chairman, MOVIEGUIDE®
- Ryan Bomberger, Chief Creative Officer, The Radiance Foundation
- Kim Bongiornro, Co-founder, Moral Action Ministry
- Shenan J. Boquet, President, Human Life International
- Andi Buerger, Founder, Voices Against Trafficking
- Douglas Burton, Senior editor, RuralWatch.News
- Ann Buwalda, Executive Director, Jubilee Campaign USA
- Yaxue Cao, Director and Editor, China Change
- Chris Chappell, Host, China Uncensored
- Guangcheng Chen, Human Rights Activist, Author, Barefoot Lawyer
- M K Cheng, Advocate, Democracy for Hong Kong in the UK Union
- Samul Spurgeon Babu Chuttugalla, Pastor, Youth Gospel Crusade
- Bill Clark, NW Director, Peace Catalyst International
- Ellie Cohanim, Signing in her Individual Capacity
- Anders Corr, Publisher, Journal of Political Risk
- Blanquita Cullum, Co-Founder, Voices Against Trafficking
- Kelley Currie, Signing in her Individual Capacity
- Peggy Dau, Representative, IranAliveMinistries
- Stefania Della Santa, Missionary, Associazione L’ONDA
- Paula DeSutter, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Verification, Tendere’ Veritas Consulting
- HatginDolgion, President, Inner Mongolian People’s Party
- Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Jane Duff, US Marine Corps (Ret.), Military Advisor, Committee Present Danger: China
- Nicholas Eberstadt, Signing in his Individual Capacity
- Stephen Enada, President, International Committee on Nigeria
- Rev. Andudu Adam Elnail, Bishop, Co-leader of the GAFCON Suffering Church Network
- Charles Faddis, Senior Partner, Artemis
- Joseph Farah, Founder and CEO, World Net Daily
- Willy Fautre, Founder and Director, Human Rights Without Frontiers
- Kevin Freeman, Founder, NSIC Institute
- Bob Fu, Founder and President, ChinaAid
- Frank Gaffney, Vice Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China
- Lela Gilbert, Sr. Fellow for Int’l Religious Freedom, Family Research Council
- Sasha Gong, Signing in her personal capacity
- Ethan Gutmann, Signing in his Individual Capacity
- Bryan Hickox, Chairman, The Jesus Alliance
- Joyce Ho, Founder and Director, Project Black Mask HK
- Walter Hoye, CEO, Issues4Life Foundation
- Salih Hudayar, Founder & President, East Turkistan National Awakening Movement
- Dolkun Isa, President, World Uyghur Congress
- Charles Jacobs, President, Americans for Peace and Tolerance
- Steve Jalsevac, President, LifeSiteNews.com
- Kevin Jessip, Chairman, Save the Persecuted Christians
- Sheryl Kaufman, Board Member, Americans for Limited Government
- David Kilgour, Member (Ret.), Canadian Parliament
- Se Hoon Kim, Director, Captive Nations Coalition (CNC)
- Gordon Klingenschmitt, Chaplain, The Pray In Jesus Name Project
- IlshatKokbore, Director of Chinese affairs department, World Uyghur Congress
- Al Kresta, President & CEO, Ave Maria Radio
- Tash Lamsang, President, Tibetan Youth Congress NY&NJ
- Ann Lau, Chair, Visual Artists Guild
- Dede Laugesen, Executive Director, Save the Persecuted Christians
- Chung Hang Baggio Leung, Former Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, HK Legislative Council
- Sean Lin, Executive Director, Truth Warrior Alliance
- Ted Lipien, President, Free Media Online
- Clare Lopez, Signing in her personal capacity
- Carnes Lord, Professor of Strategic Leadership, US Naval War College
- Robert Maness, CEO, Iron Liberty Group LLC
- Richard Manning, President, Americans for Limited Government
- Bradley Mattes, President, Life Issues Institute
- Faith McDonnell, Director of Advocacy, Katartismos Global (KGI Global)
- Jill McElya, President, Invisible Girl Project
- Eric Metaxas, President and Founder, Socrates in the City
- John Mills, Former Director, Cybersecurity Policy, Strategy, and International Affairs, Retired – Department of Defense
- Janet Morana, Executive Director, Priests For Life
- Allen Morris, Executive Director, Concerned Methodists
- Anne Morse, signing in my individual capacity
- Steve Mosher, President, Population Research Institute
- Maura Moynihan, Author, researcher, Tibet Policy Group
- Troy Newman, President, Operation Rescue
- Ayman Abdel Nour, President, Syrian Christians for peace
- Elizabeth Nowrasteh, Screenwriter, The Stoning of Soraya M. And The Young Messiah
- Jenny Noyes, Executive Director, New Wineskins Missionary Network
- Ghulam Osman, President, East Turkistan Government in Exile
- George Parker, Executive Director, Revealing Light Ministries
- Jorge Parrott, President, Christ’s Mandate for Missions
- Janet Parshall, Nationally Syndicated Talk Show Host/Author, In The Market with Janet Parshall
- Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
- Bart Peacher, Founder/President, It Is Time Israel
- Paul Pickern, CEO, All Pro Pastors International
- Mike Ramirez, Event Coordinator, San Antonio, Texas Patriots’ Group
- Shakeel Raphael, Director, Free Nadeem Samson
- Tenzin Sampho, Represent, US-Tibet Committee
- Suzanne Scholte, President, Defense Forum Foundation
- Donald Shenk, Director, Gospel Tide Broadcasting Association
- Deborah Sigmund, Founder & Executive Director, Innocents at Risk
- Terese Simpson, Signing in her Individual Capacity
- Mark Singer, Co-founder, Moral Action Ministry
- Chris Smith, Co-Chair, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
- Molly Smith, President, Cleveland Right to Life
- GaniStambekov, President, Free Kazakhs
- Patricia Streeter, Co-leader, Anglican Persecuted Church Network
- Carol Swain, President, Be the People Project
- Juliana Taimoorazy, Founder and President, Iraqi Christian Relief Council
- Biao Teng, President, China Against the Death Penalty
- Bradley Thayer, Professor, CPDC Advisor
- EnghebatuTogochog, President, Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center
- Quoc-Hung Tran MD, Vice President, Vietnam Democracy Center
- Bill Walton, Host, The Bill Walton Show
- Dan Wang, Student Leader, Tiananmen Square Pro-Democracy Movement
- George Weigel, signing in his individual capacity
- John-Henry Westen, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, LifeSite News
- Frank Wolf, Member of Congress 1981-2014, retired
- Jianli Yang, President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China
- Elizabeth Yore, Esq., Founder, YoreChildren
- Gong Yi Yuan, Chairman, Hong Kong Freedom Beacon Inc.
- Maria Zack, President, Nations in Action
- Jing Zhang, Executive Director, Women’s Rights in China
- Lin Zhang, Writer, Liberty China
- Fengsuo Zhou, Founder and President, Humanitarian China
「集中營受難者家屬平台」發起人之一的美由娜．納孜迷（中）2021年4月5日引領群眾在中國駐伊斯坦堡總領事館外示威。（中央社）