Firstly, many wonder why Beijing is the host city in the first place. Considering that the snow on the slopes is entirely fake due to the lack of humidity in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, the contrast between the stark white and brown of the mountains is almost comical. Jessie Diggins, a member of the US Nordic ski team and Olympic gold winner, commented on the slicker, denser fake ice, citing its increased speed and danger as opposed to the fluffier, natural snow. Yet this exact speed will be very tempting to athletes, who are used to pushing themselves to the brink for their sport. The reliability of artificial is also a big advantage, especially with global warming. The International Ski Federation has claimed that “it creates a standard surface from the top to the bottom of course, creating stable conditions.”
Beijing isn’t the first Olympics to use fake snow - the technology was also present in Pyeongchang, Sochi, all the way back to Lake Placid in 1980 even - but it will be the first to rely on it entirely. An estimated 49 million gallons will be used over the course of the just-over-two-week long event to ensure tracks for skiers and snowboarders in the pinnacle of winter sport. Water is scarce in Northern China, and the artificial ice crystals are the work of an elaborate system of pumps and reservoirs. However, China insists that this, and the Games in general, are in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
This brings us to the next question: is this sports greenwashing on one of the largest ever scales? As Eileen Gu launched into her gold medal-winning jump, she was framed by the “dystopian” backdrop of Big Air Shougang. Formerly known as the Shougang steel mill, the titanic smokestacks pumped dark clouds over Shijingshang District. It closed for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and has since been repurposed into yards, a museum, and now a ski jump. There are even plans to add a wedding venue.
Considering China’s history with fossil fuels, it is baffling to see a country known as one of the biggest creators of warming emissions need to use fake snow because of a lack of rainfall. They claim to be using renewable energy for the duration of the Games, but not many have faith in seeing these practices continued afterwards. The IOC said, “locations for Winter Games depend on a number of considerations, not just snowfall. A series of water-conserving and recycling designs have been put into place to optimise water usage.”
A series of water-conserving and recycling designs have been put in place to optimise water usage
Then we have the political and social storm around China. Even though they were literally the epicentre of the coronavirus disaster, their ambition for status meant that the government was willing to tackle complicated containment and isolation strategies to hopefully ensure the safety of the thousands involved in the Olympics (Almost 3000 athletes and countless coaches, judges and staff members). There is a closed-loop system in play, joining together accommodation and venues in a bus network prompting images reminiscent of the Escher-style staircase from Squid Game.
Furthermore, the Peng Shuai sexual assault scandal rocked the tennis world, prompting heightened scrutiny against the Beijing government and distrust of the Olympic committee. The IOC has claimed to have successfully contacted Peng over both video calls and face-to-face dinners. China has not spoken out explicitly about the case, yet people fear behind-the-scenes coercion hinted at through media details and her abrupt insistence and interviews stating that it was just a “misunderstanding”.
Lastly, that leads to the integrity of the Games themselves. Faith in the Olympics is wavering, especially now that Kamila Valieva has been allowed to continue competing. Many will compare her to Sha’Carri Richardson, who was unable to participate in the Summer Olympics after testing positive for marijuana. She was only given a one month ban that ended prior to the Games, but she was left off the women’s relay team despite being the favourite to win the gold for the 100m sprint. Valieva tested positive for three drugs, only one of which is banned (trimetazidine used to treat angina). But combined with the other two, they are also said to improve sports performance by reducing fatigue and were referenced as “a lot of red flags” by Travis Tygart, the US anti-doping chief.
Valieva tested positive for three drugs, only one of which is banned
Valieva has claimed that the flagged test sample was due to contamination from her grandfather’s medicine, and she has the right to ask for a retest using a B sample under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. It is a shame that this has clouded her Olympic experience, especially as this could be her only Games. Her coach, Eteri Tuterberidze, is infamous for bringing a new generation group every Olympics - note the absence of her former stars Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva (15 and 18 respectively when they claimed their medals). But, in order to keep the Olympics fair, someone must be punished for this transgression. Unfortunately, it will be Valieva at one of the most important competitions of her career, and there are still people calling out for a more severe punishment despite the lack of control the 15-year-old has in this situation.
All of that combined has made this one of the most controversial Games in history, and if the IOC cannot regain authority and trust from the public, the Olympics will lose its prominent status in the sporting world.