Editor’s notes: The Government Work Report delivered on March 5 sheds light on China’s development in 2021 and its plans for 2022. What will be your focus on China in 2022? GDToday & Newsgd.com present the “China’s prospects 2022” and interview people from different sectors to share their insight into the country.
While engaging millions of Chinese people in winter sports, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics also sparked foreign athletes’ interest in China.
Before leaving the country, snowboarder Jenise Spiteri opened an account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese social media, and sent her first post: “I am sad to leave China so soon. I love all the good messages and comments you shared with me. Therefore, I decided to join Weibo. I am glad to continue to show you more of my stories.”
Jenise is a snowboarder of Maltese descent and living in California in the US. She is the only athlete representing Malta during the Beijing 2022 and also the first snowboarder to compete for the country in Olympic history. (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)
Beijing 2022 concluded on February 20. China has successfully held a “simple, safe and splendid” Winter Olympics, according to the government work report submitted on March 5 to the national legislature for deliberation.
“Beijing 2022 revealed a China I never knew”
The video of Jenise Spiteri eating bao bun, a red-bean-paste-filled bun, after her first qualification run at the Beijing 2022 has gone viral on social media. (Photo/CCTV.com)
Jenise went to Beijing for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics qualifier in 2018, when she strolled around the city and tasted the local food. This time, due to the pandemic, Jenise spent more time in the Olympic village chatting with Chinese staff and volunteers.
“I talked with a Chinese college student and found she was just like an American college student, who was about to finish school, and there’s something they loved. We have so many similarities,” Jenise elaborated.
Jenise Spiteri traded Bing Dwen Dwen pins and other souvenirs with the volunteers during the Beijing 2022. (Photo/Newsgd.com)
Jenise is not the only athlete who found out how different China was from what they learned in their own country. American freestyle skier Aaron Blunck pointed out in a news conference that “being stateside you’ve kind of heard some pretty bad media, and that is completely false – it’s actually been phenomenal.”
“So, I think having everyone come together at the Beijing 2022, it’s such a good experience, at least for normal people like us,” Jenise said, “That’s always been the message of the Olympics.”
“Beijing 2022 is a good model of sporting events”
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused uncertainty to international sporting events. Tokyo 2020 was postponed, while the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Aquatics Championships has had to change its host country in 2022. “I’m surprised that we are still able to have the Beijing 2022,” Jenise said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next 4 years from now,” Jenise furthered, “It feels like at any moment, your Olympic dream could stop.”
Jenise competed in the women’s snowboard halfpipe during the Beijing 2022. It took 12 years before she stood on the stage of the Olympics. After finishing the qualification runs, she said proudly in a video: “I’m an Olympian!”
Jenise told the reporter she felt relieved to see that such a grand international competition could be held successfully without COVID-19 outbreaks.
“It is good news for sporting events,” Jenise said, “It sets a good model of how things can work if the pandemic is still an issue.”
According to Jenise, the COVID-19 countermeasures at the Beijing 2022 are effective and not disruptive to athletes’ life and competition. “It became a routine. When I went out from the cafeteria, the test center was outside. It took about 5 seconds each time,” Jenise recalled.
As for the quarantine condition, there was no appalling treatment where “they will come take you in full suits and put you in a room”, from Jenise’s observation. “It was much more relaxed. When someone would go into isolation, it was their own apartment room and the meals were just delivered.”
Jenise Spiteri and the Olympic rings. (Photo: @jenisespiteri on Instagram)
Despite the so-called diplomatic boycott by certain countries, the Beijing 2022 is still the most-watched Winter Olympics ever, according to figures released by the International Olympic Committee. A record number of audience (64 million) was reached through Olympic Web and App, and viewers numbers on the Olympics YouTube channel have grown by 58 percent compared with PyeongChang 2018.
Author | Lydia Liu
Video script | Lydia Liu, Reese Deng (intern)
Video | Axin
Editor | Zhao Yang, Wing, Steven, Jasmine, Jerry
