Tag: Beijing

Olympians Break Silence on China as Teams Take Medals Home

Had it been up to him, Latvia’s luge coach Martins Rubenis would have preferred to never make the trip to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Indeed, he didn’t know if he would even be allowed into China until the very last moment. A two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Rubenis was already known to the Latvian Chinese…


‘My Heart Aches Watching This’: Athletes Speak Out on Human Rights as Beijing Olympics Come to an End

Had it been up to him, Latvia’s luge coach Martins Rubenis would have preferred to never make the trip to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Indeed, he didn’t know if he would even be allowed into China until the very last moment. A two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Rubenis was already known to the Latvian Chinese…


Olympic Committee President Rebukes China Over Comments on Taiwan, Xinjiang

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach issued a rare rebuke to Beijing organizers over comments about Taiwan and Xinjiang, as scrutiny of the Chinese regime’s abuses continues to simmer in the backdrop of the Winter Games. Beijing needs to “remain politically neutral,” said Bach at a press conference on Feb. 18, a day after…


IOC President Issues Rare Criticism of China Over Comments on Taiwan, Xinjiang

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach issued a rare rebuke to Beijing organizers over comments about Taiwan and Xinjiang, as scrutiny of the Chinese regime’s abuses continues to simmer in the backdrop of the Winter Games. Beijing needs to “remain politically neutral,” said Bach at a press conference on Feb. 18, a day after…


Taiwan and Somaliland Forge Ties Amid Ramped-Up Pressure from Beijing

Somaliland’s relations with Taiwan are the best they have ever been, the East African state’s top diplomat said in a recent trip to Taipei, adding that Somaliland is free to pursue its own diplomacy independent of Chinese demands. Taiwan’s defense expert said that Somaliland’s strategic location could limit the expansion of Chinese influence in Africa….


Leak in Beijing Olympic Village Creates Waterfalls in Athletes’ Dorms

Indelible meals and dirty rooms were far from the end of the unsavory moments coming out of the Beijing Olympic bubble. “Help!” wrote Finnish Olympic skier Katri Lylynpera on Instagram as water gushed through the ceiling and flooded the team’s living quarters after a pipe leakage. A video she posted earlier in the week showed…


China’s Foreign-Sourced Ice Hockey Team Suffer Crushing Defeat to US on Olympic Debut

China had put its Olympic hockey hopes on a team composed of mostly foreign-born players. But reality hit hard on their debut. On Thursday night before 1,000 spectators, the Chinese hockey squad, packed with foreign-born recruits from the United States and Canada, was beaten 8-0 by a fresh-faced U.S. team. For some, the outcome was…


China’s Foreign-Sourced Ice Hockey Team Suffers Crushing Defeat to US on Olympic Debut

China had put its Olympic hockey hopes on a team composed of mostly foreign-born players. But reality hit hard on their debut. On Thursday night before 1,000 spectators, the Chinese hockey squad, packed with foreign-born recruits from the United States and Canada, was beaten 8-0 by a fresh-faced U.S. team. For some, the outcome was…


Australian Political Opposition Needs ‘Greater Awareness’ After Beijing Plot to Infiltrate Foiled by Spy Agency: Defence Minister

Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton has said the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) needs “greater awareness” about who it engages with after the country’s domestic spy agency, ASIO, foiled a Beijing-backed plot to install Manchurian Labor candidates from New South Wales (NSW) in this year’s federal election. ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess revealed details about the…


The Irony of the Beijing Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics have begun in Beijing, China, amid the backdrop of the Chinese Communist Party’s religious persecution, human rights abuses, environmental pollution, and ensuing diplomatic boycotts. From the opening ceremony to reporters being pulled off the air by authorities, to defecting athletes, to horrific quarantine conditions, China’s communist system has far more ironies…