Mike Tirico Opened NBC’s Olympic Coverage by Addressing China’s Alleged Genocide

Mike Tirico opened NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics by addressing the alleged genocide in China.

The Winter Olympic Games in Beijing have officially begun, as has NBC's coverage of the event. On Thursday night, host Mike Tirico wasted no time addressing a controversial aspect of the Games being held in China.

Tirico, before mentioning anything about any of the athletes or competitions, spoke about the alleged genocide of the Uyghur Muslim population in the western Xinjiang region of the country. He noted that multiple countries, including the United States, have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games, meaning they won’t be sending any politicians on behalf of their country. 

Australia, Great Britain, Canada and now India are among the countries choosing to diplomatically boycott the Winter Games. India’s decision was announced Friday morning.

Tirico noted that China has denied the claims.

"Now, the Olympic host city and nation are traditionally celebrated. While that might be the case for some of the world, it is not for many of you watching back home.

As an undeniably emerging superpower and force, China is under worldwide scrutiny, with the global focus on the Olympics games returning to a country that has undergone a rapid rise in the 14 years between the summer games of 2008 and these winter games. Everyone and everything attached to these games is facing questions. The hosts. The guests. The IOC. The sponsors, media and athletes. 

The United States government is not here, a diplomatic boycott announced this fall, joined by Canada, Great Britain and Australia, citing China's human rights record and the US government's declaration that the Chinese Communist Party is guilty of committing genocide on the Uyghur Muslim population in Western Xinjiang region. That's a charge China denies."

NBC later aired an in-detail clip regarding the allegations against China.

The 2022 Winter Olympics officially began Thursday night with the opening ceremony, though, play for a few sports (curling, freestyle skiing and ice hockey) began beforehand. The Games will officially close on Feb. 20.