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Olympic Games are normally a joyous occasion but the coronavirus pandemic and a diplomatic war of words between China and the US and other nations over human rights are overshadowing the final build-up. DPA Beijing The atmosphere couldn''t be more different than 14 years ago when Beijing hosts Olympics Games for a second time from next week Friday onwards. While the 2008 summer Games were held amid a spirit of optimism the February 4-20 winter edition takes place amid a siege mentality that is not only owing to the strict coronavirus measures. "There is no feeling of openness. China is isolating itself," says one European ambassador in Beijing, speaking on the condition of anonymity. A bitter dispute between China and western nations over human rights violations, the suppression of ethnic minorities and democracy movements in Hong Kong as well as sabre rattling in the direction of Taiwan is making headlines instead of anticipation. Several western nations are staging a diplomatic boycott by sending no government officials to the game, while in 2008 US President George W Bush was among those spent time at the Games. There was hope for change at the time but the human rights situation in China is "catastrophic" and has "considerably deteriorated" since 2008, and even more since Xi Jinping became President in 2013, according to Amnesty International''s Theresa Bergmann. "The time has come to put the full focus on the human rights situation and to confront China accordingly," she said. Bergmann said that national Olympic committees and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have a special responsibility in this area but IOC president Thomas Bach has insisted the IOC is a neutral body. Bach has come under fire over his "silent diplomacy" in the case of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai who disappeared after accusing a former top politicians of sexual assault, renounced it later, and video interviews could also not fully confirm her well-being even though Bach said she was fine. China has countered the western rhetoric, with foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian dismissing the diplomatic boycott as a mockery of the Olympic spirit and "an attack on 1.4 billion Chinese people", while pledging "resolute countermeasures." Others like Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to attend the Games in China which is now the second biggest global economic power and a super power, also helped by the global financial crisis after the 2008 Games. "China is as big and strong as never before," the European ambassador said. Caught somewhere in-between are the athletes who do not vote on future hosts but are asked to speak up while also having to justify their participation. The strict coronavirus measures in China only add to the gloomy outlook, with no contact between the Chinese public and those engaged at the Olympics who are in a closed loop environment with daily tests in a scheme far more restrictive than at last year''s summer Games in Tokyo. "The athletes are not at the centre like they were in Tokyo but instead clearly the prevention is. It will be the most controlled Games in history," the ambassador said. Test events in autumn in some sports including luge gave a first taste, even though the IOC has said that improvements have been made in some areas since then. "Everyone was happy when we were gone again - and out of the prison," German multiple Olympic luge champion Georg Hackl said.
