Beijing Olympics Recap by Avi Heiligman

Forgotten Her es Olympics 2022

By Avi Heiligman

Another Olympics have come and gone, and as we have done with the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, we’ll do a recap from Beijing, China.

There were many news stories that started way before the Games began, and these will continue for the next several weeks at least and beyond. From Russia getting barred from the Olympics to the retirement of an American snowboarding legend to the Jamaican bobsled team, these Games had sports fans around the globe following many storylines. So sit back and relax as we have fun going through the two head-shaking weeks of the Beijing Olympics. Please note that there are so many topics to discuss that we’ll just pick a few of our favorites – some good, some bad and some ugly – very ugly.

Let’s start with an ugly news story that involves Russia but has nothing to do with the current conflict. In 2019, due to repeated violations for systematic doping, the Russian Federation was barred from competing in international sporting events for four years. However, Russian athletes were allowed to compete under a neutral flag and designation. Yet, despite the ban and repeated warnings, Russian competitors were still suspected of taking banned substances. Figure skater Kamila Valieva tested poslitive for a banned substance and was given a provisional suspension. She appealed and she was allowed to skate in the individual event but there is an ongoing investigation into her alleged cheating. The Russians weren’t the only the only ones caught cheating. An Iranian skier was disqualified for failing a drug test.

While on the topic of Russia, reports came out after the Games had concluded that the Chinese con-

Athletes were kept in a “closed bubble” during the Games

vinced them to delay their attack on Ukraine until the Olympics were officially over.

Covid was on the minds of the Chinese officials when planning the Games, and only a select few fans were allowed to watch the events live. Operating procedures for fans

A person walking on ice with a broomstick pushing a rock is just as exciting as watching paint dry.

were strict, and they were required to operate within a bubble. Many of the events were held in near empty stadiums, and those that did attend had to wear masks. Athletes already in the country were allowed to attend the events even if they weren’t competing in that particular event. Interest in the Games was at an all-time low, and it seemed like the empty seats at the stadium manifested itself into a ratings nightmare for the networks airing the Games. An average total audience was around 11.4 million viewers – a sharp decline from the 19.4 million from the 2018 Games.

Some athletes did test positive

for Covid and weren’t allowed to compete. American figure skater Vincent Zhou competed in the men’s free skate portion of the team event and took home a silver medal. However, before the individual men’s competition, he tested positive for Covid and was forced to withdraw. In another head-scratching decision, he was not allowed to participate in the closing ceremonies despite testing negative. Another American, Nathan Chen, performed brilliantly and took home the gold.

In recent Olympics, American speed skaters had been struggling to keep pace with their European counterparts. Erin Jackson was touted as one who could possibly get a gold medal but had placed 24th in the 500 meter event in 2018. For a speed skater who had put on skates for the first time in 2016, it was a very fast progression to become one of the fastest skaters in the world.. However, she slipped in qualifying for the 2022 Games and only made the team when teammate Brittney Bowe forfeited her spot. Bowe, an Olympic medalist herself, gave up her spot because she knew that Jackson could win the event, and she was right.

It was a bittersweet ending for several Olympic legends including snowboarder Shaun White. The fivetime Olympian and winner of three gold medals in the halfpipe, White announced the Beijing would be his final Olympics. He finished just outside the podium in 4th place with the gold going to Japanese snowboarder Ayumu Hirano. There was a judging controversy in the event as Hirano preformed a “spectacular frontside triple cork to become the first person ever to land the trick at an Olympics,” according to the NBC announcer. Yet the judges scored it a 91.75 instead of the expected upper 90s. This left him in second place, but he was able to score a 96 on his third and final run to secure first place.

In total, the American contingent won a measly 25 medals, which paled in comparison to Norway’s 37 (Norway has a population of about 5 million compared to 330 million in the U.S.). Israel didn’t win any medals but did send six athletes to

American Vincent Zhou wasn’t able to attend the closing ceremony Ayumu Hirano, Shaun White, and Scotty James

the Games. Their best finisher was alpine skier Barnabas Szollos, who wound up in sixth place in the men’s combined downhill event. Jamaica, a Caribbean island with not much ice to speak of, managed to qualify three sleds for bobsled competitions. They didn’t place very high in the final standings but, as in previous Olympics, were very popular among fans worldwide.

Well, there you have it. The author expects an email or two on “why didn’t you include this story or that medal,” but space and time are limited, and these stories are the ones that we decided to cover. Oh, and the reason we didn’t cover curling is because it isn’t a sport. A person walking on ice with a broomstick pushing a rock is just as exciting as watching paint dry.

That’s a wrap from Beijing! Next week we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled “Forgotten Heroes” articles.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.