The Beijing Olympics were surreal and very, very cold, writes reporter julie_jag. But a few athletes broke through the haze and brought us moments where the Olympic spirit didn’t feel so far away.
What was it like to attend the 2022 Winter Games? Friendly volunteers, fast and flexible athletes created the most authentic moments of an otherwise weird event.
“So you know how they go into Lord Farquaad’s kingdom and everything is perfect but it’s kind of a ghost town. I kind of envision it being like that. Or it could be totally epic and the Chinese are going to be totally awesome and loud and outgoing and cheering for everybody.” “I remember going to the Beijing Zoo, so every time we drive from the Village, I see the zoo and , ‘Oh, I was here when I was 10.’”China established an “Olympic bubble” ostensibly to prevent the spread of the coronavirus to the general public and vice versa. No intermixing would be tolerated. Fences were erected around the perimeter of the MMC with security screenings and temperature checks at all entries.
Other events generated more natural engagement, however. Yells were generally frowned upon as COVID spreaders, but occasionally outbursts erupted, especially in events that featured a Chinese medal contender. That went three-fold if her name was Tao-Tao or Eileen Gu. “We have heated socks, windproof layers, I don’t know. Buffs, face tape,” Brennan said. “Running around with your parka on.”taped hand warmers to the top and bottom of her wrists and pulled a kid-sized glove over them. As she said, “If it works, it works.”— Eteri Tutberidze, coach of 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva