Beijing Winter Olympics: Speed skating test event at Ice Ribbon

Athletes travelling to next month's Beijing Olympics were warned on Tuesday (January 18) about speaking up on human rights issues while in China for their own safety by speakers at a seminar hosted by Human Rights Watch. Rights groups have long criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for awarding the Games to China, citing the treatment by the Chinese government of the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups, which the United States has deemed genocide.

Early visitors to the Main Press Centre at the Beijing Winter Olympics have been delighted to discover that ice cream is served to them by robots. To buy the ice cream, one must go to the cashier to pay first and get a receipt with a QR code, which you then scan on the machine and the robot will automatically kick into action.

Uyghurs say China's treatment of the Muslim minority group in the remote Xinjiang region amounts to "genocide." They are calling for a boycott of the upcoming Games.

Over 200 NGOs and rights organizations have called for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. They have raised concerns about atrocities and human rights violations by the Chinese government.

While the International Olympic Committee has said that politics and sport do not mix, there are many examples to the contrary. Athletes have often been advocates for social change, while activists are angry about Beijing hosting the Winter Olympics despite rampant allegations of human rights abuses. More than 200 global groups have made a joint call for a diplomatic boycott. We take a closer look.

US announces diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics

We start with the British papers, which are reporting on "Black Thursday", after four of Boris Johnson's closest aides resigned and the government warned of major price hikes. Also, a US pastor in Tennessee makes headlines by burning Harry Potter and other fantasy books that he says threaten his religious rights. Finally, we take a look at some of the athletes who will be gracing us with their talents in Beijing!

We take a look at the business of this year's Winter Olympics. A report suggests the true cost is 10 times more than the official $3.9 billion price tag, but Beijing is banking on other benefits. Also, Amazon reports another strong sales quarter, with its advertising business playing an increasingly significant role.

Posts on social media claim that US Olympic athletes received a poor welcome in China. In the video being shared on Twitter, you can see Chinese basketball fans racially insulting an athlete with the N-word. When did this incident actually take place?Then, did Justin Trudeau admit to a 600 million dollar bribe to the media?We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

In the past year authorities have used the law to close independent media and arrest or jail leaders of the pro-democracy protests. Many have left Hong Kong. Of those who remain, few are willing to speak out. DW's Phoebe Kong met one of them.

We look at a Russian doping scandal involving a budding ice skating champion at the Winter Olympics. Also in Russia, a teenager is sentenced to prison for trying to blow up the Russian intelligence agency in a video game. Plus, a woman says the viral word game Wordle saved her from a terrifying home invasion and finally, we bring you the darling of the US Olympic curling team!

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are being held in a "closed-loop" system, where participants and visitors are separated from the public because of Covid-19. It's the perfect environment to push the limits of modern technology and Beijing is showcasing a whole host of innovations, from 5G to robots and from 8K broadcasting to its digital currency, the e-CNY. Peter O'Brien takes us through some of the breakthroughs and controversies surrounding tech at the Games.