Anti-China activists in Japan call for boycott of winter Olympics

People wearing face masks following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak are seen near a giant Olympic rings at top of the Olympic Tower, during an organised media tour to 2022 Winter Olympic Games venues in Beijing, China January 22, 2021. Picture taken January 22, 2021. [REUTERS/Tingshu Wang]

A group of anti-China activists campaigning for human rights in Tibet and support for ethnic Uighurs called on Thursday for a boycott of the 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing, saying the Games would embolden China's government in its crackdowns.

The Beijing Games are due to open in exactly one year but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is coming under pressure from critics of China's human rights record.