Dutch King to skip Beijing Winter Olympics over COVID-19: Reports

Netherlands King Willem-Alexander will not attend the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in February due to the spread of COVID-19, Russian media reported citing Dutch media on Wednesday.

DutchNews outlet, citing Foreign Minister Ben Knapen reported that the king made the decision "some time ago," recalling that he skipped the Summer Olympics in Tokyo for the same reason, as per Sputnik.

The foreign minister added that it would be strange if the king were to go to the Olympics while foreign fans were not welcome there, as cited in the report.

On Monday, the White House announced that the US would not send an official delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics due to human rights violations by China.

The Chinese government rejected the allegation and criticized the US for promoting the boycott of the Games among its allies and politicizing sports, which is contrary to the Olympic Charter.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that "no one would care" if a number of foreign officials chose not to attend the Games, as per Sputnik.

The 2022 Beijing Winter Games will be held from February 4-20.

( With inputs from ANI )