Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is urging British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to join the call to move the 2022 Olympics out of China.
Scott made the request in a letter to Johnson dated Tuesday. A copy of the letter was posted on his Twitter account.
“Thank you for your continued efforts to expose the horrific human rights abuses in Communist China, and for working to hold them accountable,” Scott wrote.
“Recently, you opposed the idea of boycotting the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. I, too, oppose boycotts because they only hurt athletes who have spent their lives training to represent their country on the international stage, but that does not mean nothing should be done. Governments and international organizations have the ability and responsibility to address human rights concerns and call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change direction, and move the 2022 Olympics Games out of Beijing.
“I have introduced legislation in the United States Senate calling on the IOC to move the 2022 games out of Beijing unless Communist China demonstrates significant progress in securing and protecting fundamental human rights. The IOC has the time and ability to move the games to a country that truly respects human rights, and I urge you to join me in this effort and urge the IOC to take immediate.
“The Olympic Games gives the world’s best athletes a chance to represent their countries and unite our nations. However, this cannot be achieved if we ignore the grotesque abuses of Communist China and allow the games to be hosted in Beijing, putting the safety of all our athletes and attendees at risk.”
Scott informed Johnson he had recently written to President Joe Biden asking for a meeting to discuss the issue.
“Working together we can seize the opportunity to highlight our shared believe in freedom and democracy, while preserving the marvel that is and must always be so perfectly captured by the unity created by the Olympic Games.”
In a tweet he wrote: "Every freedom-loving nation must stand together in support of human rights. Today, I ask UK PM @BorisJohnson to join our efforts to move the 2022 Olympics out of Community China & designate their horrific human rights abuses against the Uyghurs as genocide."
He also stressed in his earlier letter to Biden that he was not pushing for a boycott of the games and asked for a meeting with the president.
“As I continue to urge the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the games out of Communist China and to a country that respects basic human rights, I request your immediate attention and the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the horrific human rights atrocities occurring across Communist China and the effort to select a new site for the 2022 Winter Olympics Games,” Scott wrote.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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