Beijing Winter Olympics

The US, UK, Australia and Canada will not send government representatives to the Games because of concerns over China's human rights record.

This includes widespread allegations of abuse against the Uyghur minority group.

France, host of the next Summer Games, said it would not join the boycott.

The Winter Olympics are set to take place in Beijing in February.

"The United States, Britain and Australia have used the Olympics platform for political manipulation," Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry, said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision was in response to "human rights abuses" in China's Xinjiang province and "many other issues that Australia has consistently raised".

Athletes would still attend, he added.

China has condemned the US announcement and threatened to retaliate, without giving further details.

On Monday, the US said it would not send diplomats to the Games in Beijing over concerns about China's human rights record.

China, where measures to tackle COVID-19 are among the world's strictest, has already said international spectators will not be allowed to enter the country for the Games which will run from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20.

China has all-but shut its borders to international travellers, with the number of international flights drastically reduced from pre-COVID levels, and games organisers said on Monday that domestic and foreign airlines will be encouraged to operate temporary flights available only to participants.