“All the gold medals in the WORLD aren’t worth selling your morals” - Enes Kanter requests IOC to move the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing in light of the Peng Shuai issue
Boston Celtics' Enes Kanter has continued to speak out against the Chinese government. He started his campaign against them when he first criticized the Chinese president Xi Jinping and moved on to address the issue of slave labor in China.
In light of tennis champion Peng Shuai's disappearance, Enes Kanter is calling on the International Olympic Committee to move the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing. Shuai is currently missing, following her recent accusation of a former top-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party, stating she was sexually assaulted.
"And we must take a firm stance against the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. While the Women’s Tennis Association has voiced concern for Ms. Peng, the International Olympic Committee has shockingly echoed Chinese state media’s rhetoric about her case. This comes as no surprise, as the IOC has ignored Beijing’s abuses for years. As athletes concerned about human rights and justice, we must pressure the IOC to move the games. All the gold medals in the world aren’t worth selling your values and your principles to the Chinese Communist Party."
Move the Olympics for Peng Shuai’s Sake!!!
It's time for us to WAKE UP and SPEAK UP!!
All the gold medals in the WORLD aren’t worth selling your morals, values and your principles.
#WhereIsPengShuai
#NoBeijing2022
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Enes Kanter is calling on all athletes to speak up against recent events in China, to influence the IOC and move the Olympic games away from China.
"The sports community must wake up—and speak up. We need to realize that the authoritarian Chinese government isn’t our friend. The Communist Party is a brutal dictatorship that has weaponized economic power to achieve ideological and political compliance."
For now, the IOC is continuing with proceedings, and the 2022 Winter Olympics is scheduled to start on February 4-20. Of course, this is not the last we will be hearing from Enes Kanter as there is still some time to influence the committee's decision.
Enes Kanter stays resilient in his campaign against the Chinese government
Although Enes Kanter will first be known as a basketball star, he is politically aware and is very vocal about the happenings in China. The third overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft has continually bashed the Chinese government.
Over a month ago, he spoke on the Chinese-Tibet issue, which resulted in all Celtics games being taken off Chinese television. Since then, he has tackled different issues when given the opportunity.
Fellow NBA stars have also been on the receiving end of Enes Kanter's rage, as he has called out two of the greatest players in league history because of their affiliations with Nike.
Kanter has implored LeBron James and Michael Jordan to speak up against slave labor in China, stating that their pricey signature shoes are made in China. Unfortunately, it has turned into a bit of a messy situation as it has resulted in a back-and-forth with King James.
So far this season, Enes Kanter has played in only six games and is averaging 4.0 points and 4.7 rebounds.