(olympics.com)
Whether you realize it or not, the Winter Olympics are quickly approaching! The opening ceremony, which is set for the 4th of February, is no longer in the distant future. As the drama surrounding these Olympics has increased in the past few weeks and months, it has become that much more exciting. Hosted in Beijing, China, these Olympic games will mark the first Winter Olympics that have ever been hosted by China. This sounds exciting, right? Well, this is not the major headline around these Olympics. A major headline has been developing relating to how the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK are among the countries to have announced diplomatic boycotts of the Winter Olympics.
To start off on the lighter and more uplifting side of these winter games, it is certainly going to be an action-filled two weeks of seeing some of the best athletes in the world. Even though many people in our area may not usually watch many of these sports, they will be easy to begin to like. To add to the excitement, these games are scheduled to include a record 109 events in seven sports. New events will be competed in bobsleigh, short track, freestyle skiing, ski jumping, and snowboarding.
(britannica.com)
If you are looking to cheer on your fellow Americans who are competing in these games, there is much to see. After finishing fourth in the medal table at back-to-back Winter Olympics, the United States will look to improve its standing in these games. With top athletes such as Makayla Shiffrin, Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim, and Shaun White, there are many reasons to be hopeful for the Americans to bring back medals to the States. As Norway has dominated the Winter Olympics in the past, the Americans definitely have their work cut out for them.
(teamusa.org)
Moving into a more serious topic, there are many concerns and controversies over the 2022 Winter Olympics, which have included diplomatic boycotts due to the Uyghur genocide and the general human rights situation in China. If you are wondering what a diplomatic boycott even means for the countries that have announced them, it means that athletes from those countries will still be able to compete in Beijing, but no government officials will be in attendance. In the announcement of the diplomatic boycott of the games, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "US diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC's egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can't do that.” To add to these issues, Beijing has recently become a target zone after the disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai. After accusing the former senior official in the Chinese Communist Party of sexual assault, Shuai vanished from public appearance for quite some time. Even though she has been marked as safe from many sources, the uprisings from many people around the world will not be forgotten. As these Olympic games are quickly approaching, time will tell if any of these developing issues revolving around China will end up affecting the participation or attendance of any other countries around the world.
(scmp.com)
With thoughts straying from the excitement of the sporting events to the issues developing in China, many people have forgotten that COVID-19 is also going to impact these games. Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in China, the organizers of the games have made a plan that includes a closed-loop system that is only available for the participants of the games. In terms of quarantine time before the games, it all depends on whether or not an athlete is vaccinated. Fully vaccinated athletes will be able to enter the closed-loop with no mandatory quarantine. On the other hand, athletes who are not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine for 21 days in Beijing. In terms of fans attending the games, there will not be any tickets on sale for the public to buy. Rather, a very limited number of selected tickets will now be distributed by authorities. No tickets will be available for anyone outside of China. Even though these games may seem strange in that regard, the Olympics in Tokyo this past summer were held with no fans in the stands.
Through these extra hassles in order to help keep these games going on, all can hope for a successful and entertaining display of events. As the first Winter Olympic games were held in 1924, the storied history behind these games dates way back. With this, there has obviously been a sense of urgency to work to make these games as normal and as enjoyable as possible. As the motto for these games is “Together for a Shared Future”, it is easy to understand that everyone around the world is looking forward to a little bit more normalcy in their lives. Even though these games are going to be interesting and difficult at times, seeing the world come together to enjoy watching athletes from all over the world is going to add a sense of calmness to a crazy world.
(reuters.com)
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