A diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing is looming, meaning no United States government officials will be present, but athletes will be able to compete in the events they’ve trained hard for. 

CNN reported President Joe Biden told reporters last month he, with nods from Democratic and Republican politicians, was considering a diplomatic boycott in response to China’s human rights violations. The “world’s two largest economies” are also still at odds over trade, military aggressiveness, global infrastructure and public health. 

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According to NBC News, calls for a boycott of the games have intensified following the mysterious reappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who vanished for three weeks after making sexual assault charges against a former senior Chinese Communist Party official. 

Supporters claim the games are being used to cover up the country’s mistreatment of civil rights campaigners, political dissidents and ethnic minorities. 

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, has criticized the decision as an “outright political provocation,” per the Associated Press. It’s unsure how China will retaliate, but Lijian noted they will not go down quietly. 

“Without being invited, American politicians keep hyping the so-called diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic, which is purely wishful thinking and grandstanding,” Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing, per AP. “If the U.S. side is bent on going its own way, China will take firm countermeasures.” 

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Previously, a coalition of 180 human rights organizations called for a boycott of the Olympics because of reported human rights violations against ethnic minorities in China. Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, which it stated would strengthen the country’s human rights, but the groups claimed the Olympics’ popularity has resulted in “a gross increase on the assault on communities living under its rule.” 

“The IOC refused to listen in 2008, defending its decision with claims that they would prove to be a catalyst for improved human rights,” the groups said in a letter to the International Olympic Committee. “As human rights experts predicted, this decision proved to be hugely misplaced; not only did China’s human rights record not improve but violations increased substantially without rebuke.” 

The IOC has stated it is solely a sporting organization that does not engage in politics.

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The last time the U.S. boycotted the Olympics completely was in 1980, during the presidency of former President Jimmy Carter, per CNN. The declaration came after the Soviet Union failed to meet Carter’s deadline for withdrawing its soldiers from Afghanistan.