The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics opened this Friday (4) during a ceremony awaited, as always, for its artistic and technological aspects. But this time expectations were higher, especially due to the symbolic character of the event at a time of high tension in global politics.
The kick-off for the inauguration was given after the greeting between the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, at the Bird’s Nest stadium.
The venue is the same venue that hosted the 2008 Summer Games ceremony, considered by many to be the most impressive in history, but the context that surrounds China and the world 14 years later has changed a lot.
Film director Zhang Ymou, responsible for the previous opening at a time of consolidation of the Chinese opening process to the world, returned to the role with a proposal adapted to the present.
“This time, we will show less about ancient culture,” Zhang said in a message carried by Chinese state media ahead of the event. “We will convey a sense of modernity, which is forward looking. This is a new era.”
These new times have China as the second largest economy in the world and projecting its influence in an unprecedented way to Asian, African, Latin American and even European countries. At the same time, it is a nation that is more self-centered, defiant, criticized for human rights violations and closed to the world since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In this complex new global situation, the Winter Olympics will show the confidence and pride of the Chinese people, the love of the Chinese people, the affection of the Chinese for the people of the world,” Ymou told the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Empty of international leaders because of the diplomatic boycott of the Games led by the US and also because of the pandemic, the ceremony had Russian President Vladimir Putin as its main political guest.
Before going to the Bird’s Nest, Putin and Xi Jinping formalized an alliance against Western policies, especially US ones, and declared a “boundless” friendship. Currently, Russia and NATO (Western Military Alliance) are at the center of a serious security crisis in Eastern Europe.
Hours later, the Chinese leader declared the event open, which has as its official motto “Together for a shared future”.
Thomas Bach invoked the Olympic spirit to convey a standard message, but one that can gain other reading today. “In our fragile world, where division, conflict and mistrust increase, we show the world: yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals and, at the same time, live together in peace and respect.”
The festive moment for the entry of athletes from 91 countries took up most of the 2h20 of the ceremony, reduced in size and duration because of the pandemic, but longer than the 1h40 initially planned.
If there was no presence of US political leaders, the country’s athletes entered in good numbers (the prediction was that 80% of the delegation would be present). Brazil, on the other hand, chose to take the minimum necessary, as it did at the Tokyo Games, due to health concerns.
Edson Bindilatti, 42, from bobsled, and Jaqueline Mourão, 46, from esqiu, both in their fifth participation in the Winter Olympics, carried the Brazilian flag.
Less spectacular than the 2008 ceremony, the 2022 one opted for a simpler aesthetic, but it had its beautiful moments.
The guiding thread of the artistic segment, with the participation of 3,000 people, was the representation of snowflakes. Each country had its name inscribed on one of them during the entry of the delegations. Afterwards, the 91 flakes were gathered into a large flake, where later a minimalist Olympic cauldron was lit.
In the initial part, the stage, made up of 11,600 square meters of high-definition LED screens, simulated an ice cube. Lasers carved images from each of the previous 23 Winter Games before the block was “broken” by hockey players and the Olympic rings appeared in white.
The start of the sporting event takes place amidst the Chinese New Year celebrations and also on the first day of spring by the lunar calendar. But the party that started with a temperature of -4º Celsius was marked by the use of heavy clothes by athletes and the public.
Despite there being no ticket sales because of the pandemic, a good number of invited spectators were able to attend the Bird’s Nest. Among them was a Brazilian who lives in China and told her experience to leaf.
According to her, who asked that her name not be disclosed, preparations began a week before the event, with health monitoring. A member of the organizing committee was responsible for groups of 10 to 20 people who needed to submit their personal information.
It took two negative tests for Covid-19 to go to the stadium, and two more will be done in the coming days. Recommendations were for spectators to bundle up with at least three layers of clothing and use heated bags underneath.
Upon arrival at the stadium, there were four checkpoints, all with facial recognition. Employees conducted training sessions with indications of applause moments, and kits with blankets, hats, gloves and chocolate were distributed.
After a troubled phase of preparation for the Games, China will now be able to focus on two weeks of intense sports programming. But it is already clear that, amid the medals, this will be an event inseparable from global politics.
Source: Folha
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