Should Canada go to the Beijing Olympics?

It is the pinnacle of amateur sports. In less than one month, those athletes will be competing for their country in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Considering Canada’s sour relationship with China, should this country be sending athletes? 

The Winter Olympics come every 4 years, and with it comes Nations cheering on their athletes, who put everything on the line for the opportunity. Canada has joined the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand in a diplomatic boycott of the games. Athletes will still be able to compete but diplomats, like Canada’s Minister for Sport, will not be attending. 

For more than two years, Canada—China relations were strained due to the “hostage diplomacy “ of the Two-Michaels after Huawei executive, Meng Wanzhou, was detained in Vancouver for the US. 

China has responded to the threat of a boycott with the promise of retaliation. To make the situation even more complex, add in the Omicron variant spreading around the globe… 

Our poll question this week asks: 

Should Canada send athletes to the Beijing Winter Olympics? 

YesNoUnsure

Guests: 

Jon Roe, Angus Reid InstituteBruce Kidd, former Canadian Olympian 1964Charles Burton, Former Canadian Diplomat to ChinaElliot Tepper, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University