Winter Games try to deflect Covid-19 and political tension in Beijing

About six months ago, Japan and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) organized an unprecedented Olympic edition. Postponed by a year due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Games took place with empty stands and adopted a series of health protocols for participants, including daily Covid-19 tests.

The definitions of “unprecedented”, however, were quickly updated. The rigidity of the rules established for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, which opens this Friday (4), makes the procedures established in the last summer edition now seen as soft.

In addition, while Japan had “only” the unfolding of the pandemic to worry about, China is holding its event amid a turbulent diplomatic context.

Xi Jinping’s dictatorship is experiencing the most tense moment in its relationship with the West, amid criticism for the repression of civil liberties in Hong Kong and the oppression of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

In late 2021, the censorship imposed on tennis player Peng Shuai after she accused a Chinese leader of sexual assault fueled international pressure before the US announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games. The measure means that the Americans — as well as other allied countries — will not have government representatives at the event, but this does not affect the athletes’ participation.

The one who confirmed his presence in the position of an increasingly close ally to Xi Jinping was Russian President Vladimir Putin. This comes at a time when his country is at the center of a serious security crisis with Ukraine and the West, over fears that Putin could order an invasion of neighboring territory.

As had already happened in Tokyo-2020 and in the last Winter Olympic edition, PyeongChang-2018, Russia will not compete as a nation in Beijing-2022. For a suspension motivated by tampering with data from the country’s anti-doping laboratory, its athletes will again represent the Russian Olympic Committee, without the use of the flag and the playing of the national anthem.

The tension scenario raises concerns about possible political manifestations by athletes at the Olympics, precisely in a country that usually represses them.

Before Tokyo, the IOC changed its rules and allowed acts on the field of play, but kept the veto on the podium and at ceremonies. Furthermore, the message cannot be directed directly or indirectly against people, countries or organizations.

Despite the partial release, the issue remains nebulous, especially with regard to the possibilities of punishment. The IOC’s rules for doing so are unclear, and human rights organization Human Rights Watch has recommended that athletes not protest in China for fear of reprisals.

At other times in history, all these factors could put health issues in the background, but it is the pandemic that imposes itself as a reality and a matter of immediate concern for all participants of the event.

The tougher rules set for the Winter Olympics stem from China’s “zero Covid” policy and the spread of the coronavirus’s omicron variant around the world.

The thousands of Games participants, including nearly 3,000 athletes, were only able to reach the host country via special routes established by the organizing committee from four locations: Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo. Unvaccinated would need to comply with 21-day quarantine.

In Beijing, the concept of “sanitary bubble” was adopted, already established for other major competitions, but on a scale and with unprecedented surveillance. No athlete, coach or professional linked to the Games will be able to step outside the so-called closed circuit: competition venues, Olympic villages, some hotels and a specific transport network.

In Tokyo, Olympic workers residing in the city used public transport and returned home after work. Accredited foreign professionals, for example journalists, could also move freely after 14 days in the country.

The only flexibility of the Chinese event in relation to the previous one is that in Beijing there will be an audience. Ticket sales, however, were suspended earlier this year, and only an undisclosed number of guests will be able to attend the competitions.

All this siege did not prevent the Games from starting with a considerable number of cases of Covid-19. From January 23 to February 2, 287 were linked to the event, 192 identified at the airport and 95 in the “bubble”. Organizers say the numbers are on track and there is no reason to be concerned about any outbreaks.

In Tokyo, none of the top names lost the competition because of the virus. In Beijing, the Austrian Marita Kramer, 20, a favorite in ski jumping, contracted the disease shortly before traveling and will not be able to compete. Owner of three Olympic bobsled medals, Elana Meyers Taylor tested positive in China. With that, she will not be able to be the flag bearer of the US delegation at the opening, but she still has time to recover for the tests.

A member of the Brazilian bobsled team, Erick Vianna, 28, tested positive on Saturday (29), as soon as he landed.

“It’s news that nobody wants to receive. At the time it was a scare, because I did two PCR tests in Austria before we traveled, and both were negative”, said the athlete. “The first day of isolation was the worst. I arrived at the Olympic Village and after about 40 minutes I got the news of the positive test. A lot went through my head, but after a few hours I was able to concentrate and calm down.”

To be released from quarantine, participants must present two negative results within 24 hours, which happened to the Brazilian on Tuesday (1st). The first bobsled competitions will only take place in the second week of the Games.

The Beijing-2022 competitions started on Wednesday, with curling matches. This Thursday (3), Sabrina Cass was the first athlete in Brazil to debut. She placed 21st in the first descent of the moguls, freestyle skiing.

The top ten teams went straight to the final, scheduled for Sunday (6). Also on Sunday, a little earlier, the 19-year-old Brazilian will seek one of the ten remaining spots in the decision. For that, she needs to move up at least one position.

This Friday, the opening ceremony will be held at the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, starting at 9 am (Brasilia time). SporTV 2 broadcasts. The competitions will be shown by Globo, by SporTV and by the website Olympics.com.

The initial ceremony promises to be shorter than usual, lasting up to one hundred minutes, and will have a reduced number of participants. The director, Zhang Yimou, is the same person who led the impressive opening of the 2008 Summer Games, also held at the Bird’s Nest. The Brazilian flag bearers are Edson Bindilatti, 42, and Jaqueline Mourão, 46, both in their fifth participation in the Winter Games.