Watching a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist skier stumble — not once, not twice, but three times — at the Beijing Olympics was both extraordinary and painfully ordinary. No matter how well we prepare ourselves, how focused we are, what mental exercises we do to get ready, the reality is: These things happen. Mikaela Shiffrin herself seemed baffled as she talked to reporters after tripping on a gate and failing to finish the women’s Alpine combined race on Thursday, her third disastrous mishap at the Games. “I didn’t feel…
Month: February 2022
Australia accuses China of shining laser at warplane
Australia has accused Beijing of interfering in its domestic politics, banned Chinese telecom giant Huawei from building Australian tech infrastructure and called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19, first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. BBC
‘Openly British’ Kenworthy signs off with criticism of IOC over human rights
The British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, said on Saturday the International Olympic Committee should take a host nation’s stance on human rights issues into consideration when awarding the Games. Rights groups have long criticised the IOC’s choice of Beijing as 2022 host and several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, mounted diplomatic boycotts to protest against China’s treatment of its minority Muslim Uyghur population, which the US deems to be genocide. China denies allegations of human rights abuses. “I am absolutely a…
See Pivotal Moments From the Beijing Winter Games
In a Winter Olympics full of unexpected victories and losses, decisive moments often happened in just a fraction of a second. These are some of the most visually stunning high-speed scenes captured by New York Times journalists. Women’s Figure Skating Short Program Karen Chen, 22, of the United States, competed in both the women’s short program and the free skate event. Throughout her career, Chen has worn sparkling skate dresses meticulously sewn by her mother. She won a silver medal in the team event. Photographs and composite image by Jeremy…
China’s “zero-covid” policy doubles as a loyalty test
Feb 19th 2022 HONG KONG is about to endure its worst three months since the covid-19 pandemic began. With new case numbers running at thousands per day and doubling every few days, the financial and trading hub of 7.5m people faces an outbreak that—were it happening in mainland China—would trigger a citywide lockdown, with millions of people told to stay home, if necessary for weeks. Listen to this story Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Hong Kong will not…
Why Companies Struggled to Navigate Olympics Sponsorships
WASHINGTON — Companies usually shell out for Olympic sponsorship because it helps their business and reflects well on their brands. But this year, with the Olympics in Beijing, Procter & Gamble paid even more to try to prevent any negative fallout from being associated with China’s repressive and authoritarian government. The company, one of 13 “worldwide Olympic partners” that make the global sports competition possible, hired Washington lobbyists last year to successfully defeat legislation that would have barred sponsors of the Beijing Games from selling their products to the U.S.…
‘Wild and ruthless’: Katharine Murphy on surprise rebellion and familiar tactics
Katharine Murphy discusses with Jane Lee the drama of the federal parliament’s first sitting fortnight – from the failed Religious Discrimination Bill to attacks on Labor on national security – as both major parties count down the days till the election is called. How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
The Re-emergence of an ‘Aerospace Clique’ in Chinese Politics?
Advertisement Since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012, several accomplished Chinese systems engineers from the China Aerospace Science and Technology (CASC) and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) have been promoted to take on provincial leadership positions. The rise of technocrats in Chinese politics is certainly not a new phenomenon. Tracing back to influential figures such as Qian Xuesen and Ding Henggao, China’s space and missile industry has enjoyed high political standing since the late 1950s. Engineer-politicians dominated the CCP’s leadership during the…
Returning to China After Being Expelled
Returning to China After Being Expelled Amy Qin📍Reporting from the Olympics bubble In March 2020, the Chinese government expelled a group of American reporters. I was forced to leave Beijing, my home of eight years. This month, I returned to China for the first time to cover the Olympics. Here’s what I saw → NYT
How citizenship row clouded Eileen Gu’s Olympics
Until recently, the US-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu – or Gu Ailing as she is known in China – was one of the rising numbers of Chinese Americans straddling the two countries. They are comfortable operating between the two cultures and systems, taking pride in their heritage as well as their upbringing. Gu, now 18, was born in San Francisco to an American father and a Chinese mother. She’s a big fan of Chinese dumplings and, every summer, she flew back to Beijing to attend cram school for mathematics. “When…