In principle, Switzerland wants to send the Federal Council to the Olympic Games

However, according to Federal Council spokesman André Simonazzi, the final decision should be made at short notice due to the pandemic

The Federal Council discussed the official delegation on Wednesday, Simonazzi told the media on Wednesday. The government is of the opinion that a member of the government should be present at the celebrations.

However, due to the development of the pandemic, the government will decide on the delegation at short notice, as the presence of the Federal Council in Switzerland could be crucial. It is therefore possible that nobody will go because of the pandemic; The Federal Council is still waiting for the decision, said Federal Council spokesman Simonazzi.

The 24th Olympic Winter Games will take place from April 4th to 20th – provided the corona pandemic does not lead to a postponement. February 2022 in the Chinese capital Beijing. Participants in the games should only be allowed to move in Beijing in an isolated “bubble” to prevent the virus from being introduced.

Calls for a boycott because of human rights

There has been criticism against the participation of members of the government or diplomatic representatives in the Olympic Games. The United States had asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the February 2022 Winter Olympics because of human rights abuses in China. The United States accuses China, among other things, of genocide against the Muslim Uyghur minority.

The United States then declared that it would not send any diplomatic representatives to Beijing. Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada and Japan joined the US boycott. China rejected the allegations of human rights violations and announced “decisive countermeasures”.

Switzerland also called for a boycott

Voices for a boycott were also raised in Switzerland. On Tuesday, activists from the “Tibetan Youth in Europe” association unfurled banners in five Swiss cities to protest against the upcoming Olympic Games in China.

Switzerland was once considered one of the first countries to grant political asylum to Tibetan refugees, it said. You must now “show once again that you are in solidarity with the communities that are oppressed by the Chinese regime”. The association therefore calls on the Federal Council not to send any official representatives to the Olympic Games.