Prime Minister confirms diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Australia will follow the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Australian athletes will still be able to compete.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it “will come as no surprise that the Australian government will not be sending any official representatives”.

“We have been raising a number of issues that have not been received well in China and there has been a disagreement on those matters,” Mr Morrison said.

Press PLAY below to hear part of the PM’s press conference confirming the boycott

Critics of the move say politics shouldn’t be mixed with sport.

But Michael Shoebridge, Director of Defence, Strategy and National Security at the The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that reason didn’t wash.

“For China’s ruling communist party, the Winter Olympics is all about politics and prestige,” he said.

“It’s about showing that the Chinese government is at the centre of global events and it’s about basking in global attention.

“It is a highly political matter.

“I think the government has made a good decision.”

Press PLAY below to hear him explain why

Image: Nine