Beijing 2022: They Counted Them In, And Saw Them Off Exhausted, But In Perfect Health.

Published: February 24,2022

By Gerald Mbanda

One world, one family, the message China emphasised throughout the Winter Olympics. It is the message that was spelt out for 90 seconds in fireworks, at a closing ceremony that was as spectacular as expected.

The fireworks were always going to produce the Ah, moments. No one does fireworks like the Chinese. They invented the stuff after all. But the show was much more than just fireworks. 

President Xi Jinping joined invited guests, to watch closing ceremony, in the striking “Bird’s Nest” stadium, first unveiled for the 2008 summer games. COVID-19 may have necessitated physical distancing between guests, but even that created an opportunity for creativity, with lanterns charmingly placed between each person and the next.

These were in many ways, the most challenging Olympics for the organisers. China had to solve a difficult conundrum: how to welcome the world,while locking down so much of the country, against the spread of a deadly virus. The answer, was to maintain “Zero Covid” and introduce the “closed loop.”

The policy of Zero Covid, which meant that every outbreak was met with the strictest measures, including lockdown, would work, if a bubble was created, in which everyone involved with the games stayed within it, from arrival to departure. 

Some teething challenges may have been inevitable, but none were significant enough to affect the smooth organisation.

It is the sign of the times in which we are living that in praising China for a successful games, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, thanked the Chinese people for staging the games, in a safe way. “It breaks our hearts that some athletes could not attend, because of the pandemic” he added.  

And so, the Olympic flame was distinguished in Beijing. The IOC president and the Mayor of Beijing, handed the Olympic flag to the Mayors of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, in Italy, who will host the 2026 games, which will be preceded by the Summer Olympics in 2024, in Paris. 

While the biggest achievement must surely be seeing off all the athletes back to their respective countries, free of Covid-19, team China can also pat itself on the back for outstanding performance at the games. 

For a country that has hitherto not been known for winter sports, coming third on the medal table, with 15 medals, including 9 golds, must be seen as quite a remarkable success. 

Norway’s 37 medals topped the table, with Germany coming second on 27. The United States of America came in fourth, ceding bronze position to China. 

At that rate, China will fancy its Chances in Milan, quite highly. The Beijing 2022 experience will position China as a world destination for winter games lovers. Winter games investments that attract millions of tourists are expected be lucrative business in the coming years.

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