Gus Kenworthy condemned “human rights atrocities in the country” on Saturday during the halfpipe ski final of the Beijing Games.
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British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy criticized, on the sidelines of the halfpipe ski final of the 2022 Olympics on Saturday February 19, the awarding of winter games to China due to“human rights atrocities”.
“When there are human rights atrocities in the country and a bad stance on LGBTQ rights, that needs to be addressed by the IOC (International Olympic Committee),” said the 30-year-old athlete following his 8th place in the final, the last competition of his career. “The IOC might help dictate this change by emphasizing certain issues,” he added, indicating that while he loved the Olympics, “they might be better”.
China is the subject of much criticism over the situation in Xinjiang, a vast region in northwestern China with a Muslim majority. Human rights associations accuse Beijing of having engaged since 2017 in a systematic repression of Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups in the region, such as the Kazakhs.
They accuse the Chinese regime of using forced labor and forced sterilizations and of having locked up more than a million people in re-education camps.
Silver medalist in slopestyle in 2014 in Sochi under the American colors, Gus Kenworthy came out as gay in 2015 and is a fervent defender of LGBTQ rights at the Games. In particular, he said he would like to see the IOC adopt a more proactive approach to help “marginalized and disenfranchised people”, “because everyone is watching” and that there is a “opportunity to create positive change”.
Born to an American father and a British mother, Gus Kenworthy, who has chosen since 2019 to represent Great Britain, also regretted that skiers were not consulted by the IOC regarding “of a discussion of a postponement, or expectation or whatever” when conditions are difficult. “Sometimes it feels like their heart is in the wrong place, it’s a greedy game”he insisted.
“I know we are one of the last events so there was not much solution to postpone it, but it was horrible today”he assured regarding the strong gusts of wind.
