Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics - Athletes warned they could face 'certain punishments' for speaking out at Games

Athletes at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics have been warned they could be punished for behaviour that is against Chinese rules. The message comes after human rights groups told athletes they were better off staying silent for the duration of the Games, which start on February 4.

Ad/> A Human Rights Watch panel said athletes should expect they will «not be protected» in an «Orwellian surveillance state». Beijing 2022No Winter Olympics tickets for general public as part of Covid-19 restrictions17/01/2022 AT 16:09 Yang Shu, deputy director general of Beijing 2022's International Relations Department, conceded there will be “certain punishments” if athletes break the law.

«Any expression that is in line with the Olympic spirit I'm sure will be protected and anything and any behaviour or speeches that are against the Olympic spirit, especially against Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment.” Acts of protest at the Games are generally against International Olympic Committee rules. But as well as concerns over China’s human rights record there are also worries over surveillance and security.

A report this week revealed that a Games phone app which is mandatory for athletes and officials has “glaring security vulnerabilities» which could put it at risk of being hacked. Deas among four GB skeleton athletes at Games Skeleton at the Olympics: What are the rules? “One of the features of the 2008 Olympic Games (in Beijing) was the authorities’ use of what was then considered high technology,” Dr Sophie Richardson, the China director for Human Rights Watch, said at the Human Rights Watch panel.