China slams British lawmakers for trying to boycott Beijing Olympics

China has criticized what it called the "politicization of sports" after British lawmakers urged a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics unless China allows an investigation of complaints of human rights abuses in its northwest.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson says boycott 'will not succeed'

A group wearing protective masks walks in front of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics logos at the National Aquatics Centre. The last full boycott of an Olympic Games was in 1988, when North Korea and its allies skipped the Seoul Olympics. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

China has criticized what it called the "politicization of sports" after British lawmakers urged a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics unless China allows an investigation of complaints of human rights abuses in its northwest.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says a boycott "will not succeed."

The British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee called for the government to urge British companies to boycott the Beijing Games, scheduled for February. 

The appeal adds to pressure on China's ruling Communist Party over reports of mass detentions and other abuses of mostly Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson says Beijing opposes "interference in other countries' internal affairs by using human rights issues as a pretext."