EDITORIAL: As the world stands on the brink of another spell of Cold War and the Covid-19 pandemic refuses to give in Beijing has sent out the message to the international community that all is not lost. It said, and proved by its action, that even when governments differ the people wherever they be are for peaceful and harmonious coexistence.
As Russia ‘invades’ Ukraine it was in the Beijing’s “Gold Nest” that their athletes embraced each other. And when many refused to send official delegations at the opening ceremony of the games they couldn’t resist sending large contingents of winter sports athletes, who returned home with medals. For the athletes the political borders that beset many regions were no barriers – they wanted to join the great winter sports festival and they joined it.
Eileen Gu, an American free-style skier chose to compete for China – her motherland – and won three medals. Norway, which in terms of population is just a half percent of China, led the medal count. Russia was second followed by Germany, Canada and the United States. In all 91 countries and territories participated in the Beijing Olympics, 29 of whom won at least one medal? China took maximum precaution against the Covid-19 pandemic and tightened control measures of the host city but it also ensured that athletes must train and compete in a safe environment.
No wonder already recognised as global political and economic power China can now be regarded as “soft power”. Fireworks lit up the night sky as the ceremony reached its crescendo, spelling out the words “One World”.
Of nearly 2000 athletes, who came to the Gold Nest for the gold, silver and bronze to the Gold Nest, not all were supposed to be fortunate enough. But quite a few of them hit the headlines, even when they returned home empty-handed.
One of them was Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States, who came into the Beijing Olympics as one of the biggest star, but left it without a medal of any description to add to her golds from 2014 and 2018. However it was 15-year-old Kamila Valieva of Russia who earned the most comment after it emerged that she had failed a drugs test prior to the game.
She had won gold as part of team competition. The New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski Synnot made history for his country by winning the first-ever Winter Olympics gold medal. But there was no gold, silver or bronze for Pakistan, which was represented at the opening ceremony by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had arrived Beijing a day before in the company of eight ministers.
Unlike many countries, who don’t receive snow and borrow others’ snow tracks for winter games Pakistan has a couple of winter games avenues, but those appear to be sub-standard or badly managed. That only one athlete was male alpine skier Karim, whose performance was not of Olympics standards and there was no medal for Pakistan.
But the message he returned with is that the concerned sports authorities must revisit their plans by treating the male and female skiers of Northern Areas as a precious national asset by hiring professionals who can train them for international competitions. It is doable, and why not to be done.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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