Politicized from the start before US-led diplomatic boycottThe Winter Olympics in BeijingHeld without an audience, it has orchestrated changes to the global order but also tested the effectiveness – and ruthlessness – of strict Chinese measures to keep the epidemic at bay.
The absence of representatives from Washington and allies such as the United kingdomAnd the Canada or Australia transform the russian president, Russian President Vladimir Putinin a stellar presence for the opening of the Games on the fourth of the month, and showed the closeness between Beijing and Moscow in the face of the West.
The “punishment” for these games was due to alleged human rights violations by the Chinese government in the Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. Xinjiangwhich is predominantly Muslim, where hundreds of thousands of people could pass through internment camps to prevent the spread of extremism, something Beijing has always denied.
The case is still burning and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, This year he could travel to the region, which is home to 12 million Uyghurs, if he was allowed unguarded access where he could interact with both civil society and high-ranking officials.
Despite the controversy, Sports pushed the political tide into the background Attention has been focused on snow and ice, despite the details of life inside the COVID-19-resistant bubble in which the event was held, the second in the midst of a pandemic after the Tokyo 2020 Games.
bubble worked
Athletes, delegations and journalists from abroad have I remained at all times in a closed circuit Without any kind of contact with the locals, whose proximity to the Olympic event was practically limited to being followed through the press and social networks, the Games were ubiquitous.
Outbreaks were recorded in January in several regions of China, including the capital – which was celebrating its second Olympic event after hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics – making Authorities will tighten further with containment measures, Including closing schools in already-armored Beijing, to ensure virus-free games.
Other than the invitation, the Pekingese were unable to attend any of the competitions offered by the Olympic event, though This tough antimicrobial strategy has worked: Most of the positives were spotted at the airport after entering the country, and last week no cases were recorded inside the bubble, and no cases were recorded on some days.
In total, positives inside the closed circuit totaled just over 400 — about 270 on the border — and they were diagnosed through more than 1.7 million PCR tests.
These results did not deter athletes who tested positive once in China In protest of the strict isolation measures they were subjected to To prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in villages and Olympic venues.
In fact, it is not over for the staff, volunteers and informants living in China, who after the Games will have to remain two more weeks of isolation before they can go out on the streets of the country.
Games with a woman’s name
The faces of these toys were female, albeit for very different reasons.
Glories went to the Californian-born Chinese American bird Eileen Joe -also known as Gu Ailing-, who added two gold and one silver to China, unleashing a real wave of emotions in the Asian country.
On the contrary, youth Russian figure skater Camila Valeevathe protagonist in the main controversy in Beijing 2022 after he was allowed to continue competing despite testing positive in anti-doping tests before the Games.
At the official level, chief International Olympic Committee (International Olympic Committee), Thomas BachHe highlighted the “great Olympic spirit” that was marked in his opinion by these games and the positive scenes that some athletes performed despite the geopolitical confrontations in their countries.
Specifically, Bach referred to Scenes of camaraderie between Chinese and American athletes or between Russians and Ukrainians Despite the fact that the countries they represent are still stuck in political tensions.
In general, the Olympic president considered it The games were ‘very successful’ Thanks in part to the anti-virus “bubble” designed by the Chinese hosts who, despite critical voices, made the place “the safest place in the world”. (Dr)
