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Winter Olympics Vivian Zhu
By Vivian Zhu
With the 2022 Winter Olympics coming to a close, we can’t deny that this year’s Olympics felt different from years previous. Even considering the trials and tribulations brought on by COVID-19 during the Tokyo Summer Olympics, something about the Beijing Winter Olympics felt off as it became an extremely politicized event. Many countries have resolved to diplomatically boycott this year’s Olympics because of the human rights issues that China has failed to address. These issues mainly concern China’s determination in oppressing the Uyghur population in China, while denying their actions on all fronts. The consequence of holding the Olympics in Beijing this year meant that instead of the spotlight being focused on the hard-working athletes who have waited four years for this opportunity, it turns the attention to the Chinese government and international relations.
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Image from USA Today Along with this distraction, an increasing amount of sinophobia can be seen through the criticism of specific ChineseAmerican athletes. The unfortunate amount of anti-Asian/ Chinese sentiment that surged since the beginning of the pandemic has led Americans (and other nationalities) fail to distinguish the difference between the Chinese government and its people or culture. Eileen Gu, the 18 year-old Asian American skier who earned two gold medals for China has been criticized for choosing to represent a country that she was not born and raised in. This drew a lot of criticism because many could not wrap their heads around why Gu chose to represent an authoritarian government that infringes on human rights. What manypeople do not realize is that Gu is ethnically Chinese, so
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Image from USA Today Sports Figure skating was also the highlight of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Nathan Chen had finally earned the gold medal for the men’s single event and Kamila Valieva was thrown into the spotlight after a positive drug test. Regarding 15 year old Valieva, the IOC and her coaches failed her as they let her continue performing despite her positive drug test, and with the whole world watching her next move, she crumbled under the pressure during her free skate and placed fourth in the women’s singles. The emotional trauma that the Olympics have caused her is immeasurable, and the responsibility falls completely on the Russian team and their coaches, as well as the IOC that continued to let her perform. Kamila Valieva is still a minor and her chance to showcase her talent during her Olympic debut was overshadowed by the poor decisions that her guardians made.
While it is very much deserved, it’s interesting to see the amount of praise Nathan Chen received after winning the gold medal for the United States, even though he is an Asian-American in the same way Eileen Gu is. There seems to be criticism for Gu only as she didn’t help the United States “win” this competition, but it becomes extremely hypocritical when you consider the realities Asian-Americans face in their everyday lives. Why should she be labeled as a traitor when this country has done nothing to stop the violence against Asians/AsianAmericans since COVID-19? In the end, the 2022 Winter Olympics were a demonstration of toxic nationalism and pride that came at the expense of the young athletes that only hoped to achieve their dreams. With the Winter Olympics coming to an end on February 20th, there is hope for a more refreshing, obstacle-free event in France.
Image from Team USA
