China less worried about global criticism these Olympics

By STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics open in just over a week. When Beijing held the Summer Olympics in 2008, the International Olympic Committee predicted the Games could improve human rights, and Chinese politicians hinted at the same. There are no soaring promises this time. The Games are again a reminder of China’s rise, but also its disregard for civil liberties. This has prompted a diplomatic boycott led by the United States, which has termed China’s internment of at least 1 million Uyghur Muslims a genocide. China has more clout now and worries much less about global scrutiny. The Olympics open on Feb. 4.