The Winter Olympics are scheduled to open in exactly a week’s time with Beijing set to become the first city to stage both the Summer and Winter editions of the Games.

But politicians from several countries including the United States will not be there, citing concerns over China’s human rights record.

The US has led the diplomatic boycott, with Governments in Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark Lithuania and New Zealand following suit.

Human Rights Watch has now said that 243 non-governmental organisations from across the world have urged further countries to opt against sending Government officials to the Games and called for athletes and sponsors "not to legitimise Government abuses".

French President Emmanuel Macron has described the diplomatic boycott as "insignificant" with many European Union nations distancing themselves from joining the US-led initiative, while World Athletics President Sebastian Coe claimed last November that such a move would only serve as a "meaningless gesture".

Although the Games are set to go ahead on February 4 with 2,900 athletes due to participate, human rights groups believe a diplomatic boycott will harm China.

"China cares about its international reputation," said Brian Leung, executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council.

"It wants to create an image where people will acquiesce and just treat business as usual.

"Even though people might want to see a full boycott, I think a diplomatic message sends a very clear message that something is not right here and we don’t want to normalise that.  

"It is a great starting point for us to call other countries to join in with this coalition where speak out against China.

"It is not purely a gesture.

"China cares about its international reputation and certainly can suffer harms from that [diplomatic boycott]."

Zumretay Arkin, programme and advocacy manager for the World Uyghur Congress, added: "I think a diplomatic boycott not only sends a clear message to Beijing, saying that the world is not going to just watch when you are committing genocide and atrocity crimes and just let you have this huge platform without saying anything, it’s a way for the international community to set some sort of precedent and accountability measures.

"We know that Beijing is not being held accountable for all these crimes that they have been perpetrating for decades, so this is one small step towards accountability."

Jewher Ilham, a Uyghur rights advocate and spokesperson for the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur region, said it was "heart-warming" to see so many countries join the diplomatic boycott but insisted athletes can also play their part in raising human rights concerns.

"Diplomatic boycott can give athletes courage and help them realise that they should show their solidarity for the Uyghur not only for their freedom of speech but to protect their freedom of not choosing to be complicit in human rights abuses," said Ilham.

China has faced accusations of using forced Uyghur labour, operating a mass surveillance programme, detaining thousands in internment camps, carrying out forced sterilisations and intentionally destroying Uyghur heritage in the Xinjiang region.

Beijing denies the charges laid against it and claims the camps are training centres for stamping out Islamist extremism and separatism.

Arkin claimed the Xinjiang camps were the "largest incarceration of a group of people since the Holocaust".

"The situation for Uyghur is deteriorating day by day and especially in the past few years with the emergence of the concentration camps," said Arkin.

"There is constant mental and physical torture and cultural destruction.

"In the face of genocide and atrocity crimes, how can the IOC (International Olympic Committee), the sponsors, broadcasters, athlete and even the UN can stay silence on this?"

"The upcoming Games will forever be remembered as the genocide Games and the IOC is responsible for it."

Teng Biao, Pozen visiting professor for University of Chicago, claimed the Beijing 2008 was a "catalyst" for further human rights abuses in China and said this year’s Winter Olympics will give the country’s Government "encouragement".

"The Winter Olympics will be held in the amidst of Uyghur genocide, the destruction of Hong Kong freedoms and brutal rules in Tibet.

"The CCP’s [Chinese Community Party] purpose is to turn the sporting arena into a state for political legitimacy and a tool to whitewash all those atrocities.

"The Chinese Government politicised both the 2008 and 2022 Olympic Games. 

"The IOC and many other have become complicit in the atrocity.

"Today is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the 2022 Winter Olympics will be remembered as the genocide Games."