The good virus Olympic Games

The evil Chinese. They had no remedy for the Siberian cold, which plagued many cross-country skiers and biathletes. They didn't stop the wind, which caused the Alpine skiers to shift. Well, and they built a bobsleigh and toboggan run almost exclusively for the Germans. Of course, because they are also an important economic partner. And then the quarantine hotel lacked a sauna with a pool and the meals were said to not have been very varied, even though there are two three-star restaurants in Beijing according to “Michelin”.

Added to this are the almost empty stands in the lavishly sized spectator stands. Pure sadness. No atmosphere. Was that supposed to be the Olympic Games? There were. We, who are fortunate enough to live in democratically run states, are all too likely to condemn in the strongest possible terms anything that does not fit into our worldview. There usually isn't much left in the way of positive impressions. Over the course of the games it turned out that many things were much better than expected. More decisions than ever before The sports venues, for example, have been consistently praised by those who use them to fulfill their Olympic dreams. Even the rooms in the Olympic Village received good reviews. They were said to have been sufficiently large and after a certain start-up time, all shuttle buses found their designated stopping point. The corona testing processes became a matter of course. Ultimately, all sports were carried out. There were 109 decisions, more than ever before.

The ski races in Yanqing were a highlight. © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

Maybe it wasn't the light and lively Olympic Games that we experienced in Lillehammer in 1994 or even earlier in Sarajevo in 1984, before the Balkan War later destroyed many sports facilities. But they were functional games that offered fair opportunities to all participants. In borderline cases, the active people complained the least, because they know about the problem when the wind whistles like a madman, only to take a nap the next moment. But you really can't hold the Chinese organizers responsible for that. More likely that nature reserves were cut down in order to initially create Olympic downhill runs, which would then help to turn China into a winter sports nation. Europe will be happy Lift manufacturers, snow cannon manufacturers, ski manufacturers and everyone who makes money from winter sports are rubbing their hands. And it is primarily European companies that want to benefit from it. China, of course, is a mega-large market. By the way, that is Europe too. Still. And no one can claim with a clear conscience that here in Central Europe, where climate change has long been felt in the mountains, we are sensitive to nature when it comes to once again connecting many ski resorts with many lifts to form a gigantic ski area . And if I'm not mistaken, snow cannons are now also used in ski resorts in Europe. This was particularly noticeable in the mountains around Zhangjiakou and Yanqing because there was nothing there before and now there are several hundred snow cannons lining the slopes, all of which need to be supplied with water. In Europe too, by the way.

China is catching up, China is catching up and China is overtaking. This is a frightening scenario for many, because Europe in particular has long since become far too dependent on a huge country whose hunger is far from being satisfied in many respects. The awarding of the Olympic Games to Beijing was of course a political signal that the Chinese leadership, as expected, took advantage of. Because everyone was busy with their sporting duties, human rights violations became a side note. The organizers even survived unscathed the audacity of letting a Uyghur cross-country skier light the last torch at the opening ceremony, while her people were being exterminated in so-called “re-education camps”. A gigantic diversionary tactic Nothing, nothing at all, has become better for the people of China just because the world watched these Olympic Games. It was a gigantic diversionary maneuver that was staged with almost unlimited resources thanks to the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) seven years ago. The concentration on sport meant that the topics of Hong Kong, Tibet and Taiwan shrank to a side note. There was no time and perhaps no opportunity to go into depth, especially since they were games of complete isolation and control. It can be assumed that the corona virus was just right for the Chinese at this moment. Any measure that resembled a deprivation of liberty could always be justified.

It was the Olympic Games in a bubble and it was a new and certainly not always pleasant experience for everyone. Nevertheless, ultimately – and this is always the case – the big emotions remain in the memory. The cheers of the winners, the tears of the losers, because all of this is much more intense at the Olympic Games than usual. And that's also why the games won't go down. On the contrary. The anticipation of Paris 2024 in the summer and Milan/Cortina 2026 in the winter can already be felt. There is simply no antidote to the Olympic Games virus. It has even outlasted China. And that's good.

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The good virus Olympic Games

The 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing are over. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich, who commented on the opening and closing ceremonies as well as all the biathlon races and the figure skating decisions for Eurosport, takes stock of the confidence about the future of the Games.

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