Beijing, Feb. 21 (BNA): Beijing extinguished the Olympic torch on Sunday evening, concluding a Games that will be remembered for its extreme anti-Covid-19 measures and anger over the doping scandal surrounding the 15-year-old Russian. Surfing sensation Camila Valeeva.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was in attendance at the snowflake-themed party at the Bird’s Nest Stadium, where International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach called the Beijing Olympics “really extraordinary” before declaring them closed, Reuters reports.
The Beijing Olympics, which were contained within a “closed loop”, were the second Olympics in six months to be deprived of most of their festivities by COVID-19.
Sunday night’s party concluded with a 90-second fireworks display setting out “One World, One Family”, followed by a performance of “Auld Lang Syne.”
During the ceremony, Bach praised the organizers in Beijing and called for unity as well as universal access to COVID-19 vaccines.
“You hugged each other, even if your countries were divided by conflict,” he said. “The uniting force of the Olympic Games is stronger than the forces that want to divide us: you give peace a chance.”
Ice and lanterns
Bach sat next to Xi during the opening ceremony, keeping a distance between them.
On one side of the stadium, which was nearly half full, red Chinese lanterns were glowing as Olympic athletes en masse entered the “Ode to Joy”, dancing and taking selfies.
Cheers for the Chinese team escalated when the screen was introduced to Elaine Gu, the San Francisco-born freestyle skater, who has won two golds and a silver for China.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, joined in the applause, and Xi was later seen looking through binoculars at the spectacle of athletes walking across the stadium’s spacious floor fitted with a LED-lit screen.
Later, a group of 365 people bid farewell to a twig of glowing green willow, making a traditional Chinese gesture of regret for the parting.
Gold Medals, Coverage Tests
Beijing’s tightly closed bubble prevented the spread of the new Corona virus in the Olympics or in society, and demonstrated the policy of no spread of the emerging corona virus that isolated China within semi-closed borders and shows no sign of easing.
However, the dreams of many athletes were shattered by positive tests that prevented them from competing.
Dozens saw their preparations hampered by enforced isolation, prompting team officials and athletes to demand better conditions including better food, internet, training equipment and more space.
On the ice, 18-year-old Goo made the buzz for dozens of endorsement deals, making her the young face of games even after her success raised questions about citizenship and privilege.
Gu’s performance is a boon to the development of snow sports in China. Xi hopes that hosting the Games will lead to 300 million people participating in winter sports.
China’s nine gold medals exceeded expectations, putting it in third place, while Norway, the winter sports powerhouse, with a population of just 5.5 million, won a record 16.
doping scandal
As Xi presented a spectacle of Chinese audiences unable to attend — tickets were not sold out, many linked to the Olympics by the unexpected obsession with panda mascot Bing Duen Duen — millions of Americans were tuned in, with television viewing reported being much lower compared to the Pyeong Games. Chang 2018.
The biggest legacy of the Beijing Olympics will be the controversy over Valeeva, who stumbled under pressure in her last skate, the anger directed at Russian sports officials and the country’s history of doping, which means its players cannot compete under the Russian flag.
Valieva failed a doping test at her national championships in December but the result was only revealed on February 8, a day after helping the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win the team event.
However, she was allowed to participate in the singles but finished fourth, and her error-ridden performance led to a harsh reaction from her coach Etteri Tutberidze which IOC’s Bach later said he found “intimidating”.
The saga, which dominated the Games, reopened the debate about the suitability of the Olympic environment for the palace and prompted the world’s highest anti-doping body to investigate Valeva’s entourage.