US Lawmakers push to ban the Chinese digital Yuan at the Olympic Games

Three Republican Senators have written a letter to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), allaying their fears about China’s use of its central bank-issued digital currency as a medium to spy on American athletes at the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The senators, Marsha Blackburn representing Tennessee, Cynthia Lummis representing Wyoming, and Roger Wicker representing Mississippi, expressed their concerns about data security and potential espionage in a joint letter on Monday.

They warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could use the digital Yuan for surveillance.

The letter addressed to Sussane Lyons, the USOPC Board chairperson, recommends that the American athletes should not be allowed by the committee to receive or use the CBDC while participating in the competition.

Olympic athletes should be aware that the digital yuan may be used to surveil Chinese citizens and those visiting China on an unprecedented scale, with the hopes that they will maintain digital yuan wallets on their smartphones and continue to use it upon return.

They noted a recent release and testing of the digital Yuan has a new feature that allows the Chinese government to know the exact details of any transaction.

The Senators proposed that a complete ban and disqualification from the tournament be placed on any American athlete who goes against the proposed ban.