U.N. Secretary-General Doubles Down on Olympics Attendance amid Uyghur Genocide

U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres doubled down Friday on his decision to accept an invite to the Beijing Olympics, amid boycotts by several governments over the Chinese Communist Party’s genocide of Uyghurs. He also said his decision to attend has “nothing to do” with his opinions of Chinese government policies.

“Let’s be clear — this visit to the Olympics is not a political visit,” said Guterres, in response to a question from National Review during a press conference. “This visit is a visit that comes out of an invitation by the International Olympic Committee and corresponds to what has been a very solid partnership between the U.N. and the International Olympic Committee.”

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Jimmy Quinn

Jimmy Quinn is the former national security correspondent for National Review.

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U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres doubled down Friday on his decision to accept an invite to the Beijing Olympics, amid boycotts by several governments over the Chinese Communist Party’s genocide of Uyghurs. He also said his decision to attend has “nothing to do” with his opinions of Chinese government policies.

“Let’s be clear — this visit to the Olympics is not a political visit,” said Guterres, in response to a question from National Review during a press conference. “This visit is a visit that comes out of an invitation by the International Olympic Committee and corresponds to what has been a very solid partnership between the U.N. and the International Olympic Committee.”