The Mysticals were on the ground today. Tug of war it was. The four tribes were exhibiting their might. The Gifted Four took a break. They were seated on the stands, off the ground’s boundary. Amidst the cheering, Scorch was sharing the Winter Olympics update.
“In the year 2008, the city of Beijing was selected to host the Summer Olympics. This year, Beijing will host the Winter Olympics, starting next month. This makes China’s capital the first city to have hosted both the Olympics,” informed Scorch.
“That is awesome,” said Felix, “I know the Olympics is a major global multi-sports event held every four years. There are two types of Olympics: Summer and Winter. Is China all prepared to make history?”
“Correct. And well, the answer is not really. According to reports online, a lot has changed between 2008 and 2022. The change is palpable in the mood, the government’s attitude, and of course, the Covid-19 pandemic,” Scorch replied.
“That will dampen the mood further. There is anyway a difference between the Summer and Winter Olympics as the former sees more countries participating in it. For instance, the 2021 Summer Olympics had 206 countries and Winter Olympics has only 90 countries. But why did you mention government’s attitude,” asked Verum, making an important observation.
“Let’s start at 2008. In that year China faced many difficulties. It braved a winter snowstorm disaster followed by Tibet monks’ protests, and then a disastrous earthquake. China has a single ruling party, the Communist Party.
The Games were also just around the corner, so the Party wanted to paint a positive image of China. They wanted to show off a well-performing economy, amazing new architectural structures, fun cities, and a more open society.
At that time, China had a buzzing nightlife, many visitors, and a promising lifestyle. But come 2022, the Party is under new leadership and has a new motto. The Party has a different attitude towards the world. China has become hostile towards many governments. Foreign governments have become hostile towards China as well. This has made the atmosphere less celebratory before the Winter Olympics,” explained Scorch in great detail.
“This is quite an update,” remarked Orak.
“Also, this will be a televised event, Scorch. Is that correct?” said Verum.
“Yes. It’s cold out there and no tickets for the public. The only foreigners in China right now are those participating or working there. Their movement will be restricted under the Covid-protection bubble,” concluded Scorch.