Senator says U.S. could be boycotting the 2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, are just around the corner.
With the opening ceremony slated for Feb. 9, final preparations are being made for the world’s best athletes to represent their countries.
Aside from Russia, which finds itself banned after a doping scandal, the nations of the world will be looking to accumulate as many gold medals as possible.
The rest of the world might, apparently, include North Korea.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently made all sorts of waves when he proclaimed a willingness to work with the regime in North Korea to have its athletes compete in the Winter Games.
Considering the tense world relations that the despotic regime in North Korea is producing with its nuclear saber-rattling, it’s not much of a surprise that many world leaders are opposed to North Korean representation in the Olympics.
And perhaps no country has a frostier relationship with North Korea than the United States.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump made his feelings about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un perfectly clear.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, previously said it would be an “open question” if Team USA would participate in the Winter Olympics due to issues with North Korea and the danger to American athletes.
Now, with North Korea possibly participating in the Winter Olympics, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is chiming in.
“Allowing Kim Jong Un’s North Korea to participate in [the Winter Olympics] would give legitimacy to the most illegitimate regime on the planet,” Graham wrote on Twitter.
“I’m confident South Korea will reject this absurd overture and fully believe that if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, we do not,” he added.
Allowing Kim Jong Un’s North Korea to participate in #WinterOlympics would give legitimacy to the most illegitimate regime on the planet.
I’m confident South Korea will reject this absurd overture and fully believe that if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, we do not.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 1, 2018
This certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented.
America boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Graham has received some pushback from various Olympic committees.
U.S. Figure Skating President Sam Auxier condemned Graham for his comments and said the senator “needed to be careful” with what he had to say, per Time.
“They shouldn’t be playing politics with this,” Auxier said.
“[A boycott] doesn’t help anybody. We’ll be there,” USFS Executive Director David Raith said.
It’s been a rough go for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Amid fears of rising tensions with North Korea, a very low turnout is expected.
A boycott by the United States would be a serious blow to the Pyeongchang Games.
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