Olympics Officials May Be Wearing Outfits Made with Forced Labor, Democrats Say

(Bloomberg) -- Some U.S. lawmakers are concerned about the contracts that the International Olympic Committee signed with ANTA Group and Hengyuanxiang Group for uniform supplies. 

Both companies use cotton produced in the Xinjiang region, which has a large Uyghur Muslim population. The U.S. prohibits imports of goods from this area, because it believes they are made with forced labor. 

“There is a worrisome possibility that IOC personnel or others attending the 2022 Olympic Games will be wearing clothing contaminated by forced labor,” Democrats Jeff Merkley and James McGovern said in a letter to the IOC. 

Chinese officials deny that forced labor is used in Xinjiang. Democrats urge the IOC to make public any assurances the panel has from the two companies that no forced labor would be used in production of their sportswear. 

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