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Chinese President Xi Jinping was on hand for the
snowflake-themed ceremony at the Bird's Nest stadium, where
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach described
the Beijing Games as "truly exceptional" before declaring them
closed.
The Beijing Games, contained inside a "closed loop", were the
second Olympics in six months to be deprived by COVID-19 of much
of its festivity.
They were also stalked by politics, with several countries
staging a diplomatic boycott over China's human rights record,
and the spectre of invasion of Ukraine by Russia, with President
Vladimir Putin attending the opening ceremony in a show of
solidarity against the West with Xi.
Still, China was spared any embarrassing protests by competitors
over its treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority or anything
else, and the thousands of foreign journalists on hand were
stuck inside the closed-loop, unable to report more widely.
Sunday night's ceremony was capped by a 90-second fireworks
display that spelled out "one world, one family," followed by a
rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".
During the ceremony, Bach praised Beijing's organisers and made
a call for unity as well as universal access to COVID-19
vaccines.
"You embraced each other, even if your countries are divided by
conflict," he said. "The unifying power of the Olympic Games is
stronger than the forces that want to divide us: you give peace
a chance."
SNOWFLAKES AND LANTERNS
Bach was seated next to Xi during the opening ceremony, with
space between them.
On one side of the stadium, which was roughly half full, red
Chinese lanterns projected a glow as Olympic athletes entered en
masse to "Ode to Joy", dancing and taking selfies.
The Chinese team drew cheers that grew louder when San
Francisco-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who won two golds and
a silver for China, was shown on-screen.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, joined in the applause, and Xi was
later shown looking through binoculars at the spectacle of
athletes walking across the illuminated LED-screen floor of the
vast stadium.
Later, a group of 365 people bade farewell with a glowing green
willow twig, enacting a traditional Chinese gesture of regret
over parting.
GOLD MEDALS, COVID TESTS
Beijing's tightly sealed bubble prevented the spread of the
novel coronavirus at the Olympics or into the community,
vindicating a zero-COVID policy that has isolated China inside
what are nearly closed borders that shows no sign of easing.
However, many athletes had their Olympic dreams dashed by
positive tests that prevented them from competing.
Dozens saw their preparations disrupted by enforced isolation,
leading team officials and athletes to demand improved
conditions including better food, internet, training equipment
and more space.
On the snow, the 18-year-old Gu delivered on the hype generated
by her dozens of endorsement deals making her the youthful face
of the Games even as her success raised questions about
nationality and privilege.
Gu's performance is a boon for the development of snow sports in
China. Xi hopes that hosting the Games will get 300 million
people involved in winter sports.
China's nine gold medals exceeded expectations, putting it in
third place, while winter sports powerhouse Norway, with a
population of just 5.5 million, won a record 16.
DOPING SCANDAL
While Xi delivered a spectacle for a Chinese public that was
unable to attend - tickets were not sold and many connected with
the Olympics through the unexpected mania for panda mascot Bing
Dwen Dwen - millions of Americans tuned out, with TV viewership
reported to be far lower than during the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
The biggest legacy of the Beijing Olympics will be the
controversy surrounding Valieva, who stumbled under pressure in
her final skate, and the outrage directed towards Russian sports
officials and the country's history of doping, which meant its
athletes could not compete under Russia's flag.
Valieva failed a doping test at her national championships in
December but the result was only revealed on Feb. 8, a day after
she helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win the team
event.
She was nonetheless allowed to participate in the singles but
finished fourth, her error-strewn performance prompting a harsh
reaction from her coach Eteri Tutberidze that the IOC's Bach
later said he found "chilling".
The saga, which dominated the Games, reopened debate over the
suitability of the Olympic environment for minors and prompted
the world's top anti-doping authority to investigate Valieva's
entourage.
(Reporting by Tony Munroe and Muyu Xu;Additional reporting by
Yew Lun Tian and Karols GrohmannEditing by Peter Rutherford and
Ken Ferris)
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