The Winter Olympics will be held from 4-20 February

China on Thursday condemned the decision of four countries, the United States, Australia, Britain, and Canada, which announced a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing next February, warning that they will "pay the price."

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that the countries that will send athletes to the Olympic Games without diplomatic representation will “pay the price” for their decision.

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— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) December 8, 2021

Notably, Canada is the latest country to join the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, first initiated by the United States. The two other countries are Australia and the United Kingdom. All countries cited human rights violations by the Chinese government as the reason for their decision.

Wenbin added, “The US, Australia, Britain, and Canada's use of the Olympic platform for political manipulation is unpopular and self-isolating, and they will inevitably pay the price for their wrongdoing.”

The Chinese Spokesperson said that his country did not send invitations to the countries involved, adding that whether their official representatives attend or not, the Winter Games in Beijing will be successful.

He stressed that sports have nothing to do with politics. The Olympic Games are a large gathering of athletes and sports enthusiasts, and not a platform for politicians to show off.

France will not join the diplomatic boycott

In a striking statement, France announced today, Thursday, through its Minister of Education, that Paris will not diplomatically boycott the Beijing Olympics.

The Winter Olympics will be held from February 4 to 20, but due to the restrictions China is imposing on the entry of foreigners, as part of its fight against COVID-19, only a small number of international officials is expected to come to Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, accepted the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to attend the Games.