UN chief ignores Olympics boycotts, accepts invitation to Beijing
- Secretary General Antonio Guterres was invited to the opening ceremony by the International Olympic Committee and will attend
- France has no plans to join the diplomatic boycott led by the US which so far includes Australia, Britain and Canada
“The secretary general received an invitation from the International Olympic Committee to attend the opening of the Beijing Winter Games and he has accepted it,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Thursday.
The US has said its athletes will still compete, but that it will not send a diplomatic delegation in a protest against rights abuses by China. Australia, Britain and Canada have also announced diplomatic boycotts.
France has no plans to join the boycott, which President Emmanuel Macron described as “insignificant” on Thursday.
“To be clear: you either have a complete boycott, and not send athletes, or you try to change things with useful actions,” he told a news conference, adding that he was “in favour of action that has a useful outcome”.
“I didn’t hear anybody in the world say: let’s not send our athletes,” Macron said. “So we’re talking about something rather symbolic.”