Last Friday’s splendid opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games, which coincide with the Chinese New Year symbolised by the tiger, launched 16 days of events that are gripping sports fans the world over despite covid, controversy, and consternation.

Thanks to covid, only global and domestic dignitaries have been allowed to attend the opening and only limited spectators are admitted to the Birds Nest Stadium in Beijing and other venues where events are staged. Sixty thousand athletes, coaches, and other staff are confined to bubbles in the Olympic village and tested daily; those found to be positive are quarantined until they test negative before returning to their quarters and competition.

These games, awarded to China in 2015 14 years after the Beijing Summer Olympics, are controversial because of concerns over excesses in China’s “Zero Covid” campaign and clamp down on the ethnic Turkic Uyghur minority due to radical separatists among them who demand independence. China is accused by Western powers and human rights groups of discrimination and persecution of millions of Uyghurs, some of whom have joined Daesh, al-Qaeda and the Taliban and fought in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Finally, the Anglo-Saxon powers, US, Britain, Australia, and Canada, have expressed consternation over the refusal of 20 foreign heads of state and government to join their boycott of the opening ceremony. Among those attending were Russian President Vladimir Putin who is at odds with Western Nato powers over the alliance’s potential expansion to Ukraine and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who praised the games for promoting harmony and peace. He congratulated compe-titors and said he hoped that the spirit of the games will go “beyond these Olympics to remind everyone .. that we belong to the same human family.” He said the games send a “fantastic message” of unity at a time of rising racism, discord and warfare.

He continued, “In a moment when we see so many expressions of populism, so many expressions of racism, so many expressions of xenophobia, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, to be here and to be with athletes that come from all cultures, from all countries, from all ethnicities, from all religions, it’s a fantastic message.”

President of the UN General Assembly, Abdullah Shahid who hails from the Maldives, took part in the opening ceremonies by running in the Olympic torch relay. In attendance were key Arab leaders: UAE President Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, the Emirati president met Qatar’s emir over lunch hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. This was the first time the two Gulf leaders spoke for four years although the dispute which had disrupted relations was resolved last year. While refusing to join the boycott, the leaders of Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, all countries where winter sports are popular, were absent while leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand stayed away because of covid. Their athletes are, of course, taking part.

Western commentators accused China of “politicising” the games when Dinigeer Yilamujiang, 20, a Uyghuir cross-country skier, carried a torch with the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony. International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams retorted by saying, she had “every right” to take part. In accordance with the Olympic Charter, “we don’t discriminate against people on where they’re from, what their background is,” he stated.

Yilamujiang began training at 12 years under the supervision of her father, a cross-country skier who competed domestically. She joined China’s team in 2017 and in 2019 she became China’s first medal winner in an International Ski Federation competition. She followed torch bearing with a poor performance in her first ever event at an Olympic competition, finishing 42nd out of 65 competitors. Gold was won by a Norwegian.

Objecting to her appearance as torch bearer amounted to politicisation. This is true also of the boycott by Western leaders who stayed away but dared not ban participation by their countrymen and women, who have trained for years for the Olympics.

Nearly 3,000 athletes from 91 counties are taking part in the 109 events in the games which are taking place at multiple venues at three locations.

Russian athletes, banned due to doping, are participating under the auspices and banner of the country’s Olympic Committee rather than the state. The ban is set to end on Dec. 16, 2022, after which Russians can, once again, raise their national flag.

Since this region’s climate makes it difficult for athletes to adopt and train in winter sports only Lebanon, which has mountains with well-developed ski slopes, is sending three, two men and one woman, while Saudi Arabia will mark its debut at the Winter Games by entering one male alpine skier.

These games are the first in February in China, which previously hosted two summer Olympics. Man-made snow is featured, making these Winter Games the first to depend on manufactured snow. Skiers and bobsledders are not happy about snow and scheduling of events in late afternoon when mountain slopes are at their coldest. Organisers have been criticised for isolating quarantined athletes who test positive for covid in uncomfortable quarters and producing largely cold, unappetising food at a time competitors need hot, nourishing meals.

The first Winter Olympics, with nine sports, were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, and, with a 12-year pause for World War II, have been held regularly every four years in a dozen countries on four continents. The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. No city in the weather-deficient Southern Hemisphere or this region has applied to hold the Winter Olympics.

Photo: TNS