With the Beijing Winter Olympics approaching, the US-China tension has heated up. The Olympics, which are usually a great opportunity for promotion among big brands and names, have turned silent this time. All due to geopolitical clashes between two superpowers.
The sponsors are tight-lipped as they don’t want to anger any side. According to a report by Asia News International (ANI), the sponsors are downplaying their engagement in the Winter Olympics that are going to happen in Beijing. None of the brands are coming forward or posting any promotions since it could potentially outrage the US government or even the Chinese side. There are very less tweets or publicity when compared with the Tokyo Olympics that went on last year.
Olympics and their partner brands have spoken on a few occasions. Their message statement is apparent that they want to support human rights. However, their actions tell some different stories. As per Zumretay Arkin, an Uyghur Congress leader the brands remain silent in reality. She gave the example of last year when she tried to arrange a meeting over human rights violations with some of the big brands.
Alibaba, Coca-Cola, Intel, Samsung, Atos, and many more. The Olympics are no short of global partners. According to the estimates, this Olympics season will be subdued with smaller advertising campaigns in comparison with the Tokyo Olympics that were carried out in Japan.
In December 2021, the Biden administration called a diplomatic boycott of the Chinese government because of their unfair practices. The Chinese government has been continuously violating human rights against minorities residing in China. The Uyghur population in Xinjiang, Tibetans, and those living in Hong Kong has been a victim of human rights abuse by the Chinese regime.
In a counter-statement, the Chinese government denied all the allegations put forth by the Biden administration. Just after the US announced their China and Beijing Olympics boycott, many countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and so on joined in support of the US. Though the governments might have boycotted the Chinese, the athletes will still be competing at the games.
The Chinese administration has urged everyone to depoliticize sports and warned the countries. According to China, they might end up paying a price for their actions. With all these clashes going on between administrations, it has become more and more difficult for brands to decide their function in the Olympics.