Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
Nathan Fenno, Los Angeles Times
BEIJING — Lime-green buses, temporary buildings and volunteers braced against zero-degree wind whipping off the Xiaohaituo Mountain Area are scattered around the desolate parking lot that served as an important waystation for new arrivals at the Winter Olympics.
On one side of the sprawling lot, cordoned off by waist-high barriers and assisted by workers in white hazmat suits, athletes changed buses from Beijing Capital International Airport for the final leg of their journey into the mountains.
When the last athlete boarded the bus at the Banquan Service Area, workers methodically sprayed the entire lot with disinfectant. Even sections far from the bus were doused. Then the workers sprayed each other.
For anyone who saw the scene from a bus window, it would be clear that these Games would be unlike anything they had seen.
Almost 3,000 athletes have been spread between villages in three clusters, part of the bubble that severed the 17-day event from the rest of society to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The athlete experience has featured the good times and perks expected at every Games — and presented significant challenges amid strict precautions mirroring China’s zero-tolerance approach to the pandemic.
“It was hard,” said Jamie Anderson, the three-time Olympian snowboarder who is part of the U.S. team of more than 220 athletes. “We’ve been here for so long. I feel that the whole crew was over it, like just barely hanging on by a freaking strand of hair. Tired of the food. Homesick. Tired of the pressure. A little bit tapped out. I’m excited to go home.”
Freestyle skier David Wise, another three-time Olympian who was one of the final arrivals, called the village his favorite of the ones he’s been in.
“It is a very closed-loop bubble that we are living in, but that is something we’ve been dealing with all season long,” Wise said. “If anything, it feels like we have more freedom because the bubble we are in is on such a massive scale.”
Some of the highlights to passing time in the village include a popular first-person-shooter virtual reality game that has left players in hysterics as they stumble around the game room with goggles on, adjustable beds with so-called zero-G mode that adjusts the angle, and high-tech exhibits exploring traditional Chinese medicine.
“We’re so hooked up here,” U.S. freestyle skier and first-time Olympian Colby Stevenson said. “It’s just been a crazy experience. I’ve never been to China before so it definitely exceeded my expectation.”
The precautions, however, permeate every aspect of daily life as much as the always-present workers in hazmat suits. Like everyone else in the bubble, athletes must be tested daily for the coronavirus, wear high-quality masks when they leave their rooms, attempt to practice physical distancing, only travel between a limited list of approved destinations, track their health though a smartphone app and, when in their cafeteria, use plastic gloves and sit at tables with dividers between each space.
Those rules also apply to high-profile athletes like U.S. Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and her boyfriend, star Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. Both are staying in the village at the base of the Yanqing National Alpine Centre, but have to keep their distance other than sharing divider-separated meals.
“I feel like they’ve thought of everything from a sanitation and disinfection standpoint,” said Shiffrin, the three-time Olympian who had previously steered away from athletes’ villages because of the potential for illness to spread. “I didn’t know what to expect. But it’s been a pleasant introduction to village living.”
Most of the athletes are accustomed to limits after almost two years of pandemic-related protocols.
“Everybody says, ‘Yeah, now you can spend so much time together,’ and it’s nice to have her, but it’s more challenging,” Kilde said. “With COVID and restrictions, you have to be really careful. … It’s a tease kind of, if you know what I mean. You see her, but you can’t really touch her, can’t really be with her that much. But it’s really nice to have her here.”
No alcohol could be bought in the village, forcing athletes to navigate the cumbersome transportation system to buy it at bubble hotels and bring it back.
For some it wasn’t an issue. U.S. downhiller Bryce Bennett joked that after teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle won a silver medal in the super-G, they would probably read and turn in early to celebrate.
Some South Korean speedskaters complained about the food in their cafeteria at the Beijing village and turned to eating boxed meals provided by their country’s Olympic committee, as it has done at past Games. The issue made its way to the daily news conference held by organizers and the International Olympic Committee.
In a transcript, the original question about the South Korean concerns had been rephrased to asking about the complexity of creating a menu for a diverse group of athletes.
Qianfan Shen, director-general of the village planning and operation department, responded that organizers “didn’t fully understand the complexity of the work” and “sometimes we joke amongst ourselves that [athletes] eat with calculators in their hands” because of nutritional requirements unique to their sport and training regime.
He pointed out that during a recent lunch hour athletes consumed 80 roast ducks “and after athletes tasted the roast duck, they have been posting videos and photos on social media.”
The remark underscored local sensitivity to how athletes discuss their accommodations. On recent nights, two Chinese newscasts featured lengthy segments about positive social media responses to the villages by athletes.
When U.S. luger Summer Britcher posted a TikTok video praising the beds in the villages compared to those in Tokyo at the Summer Olympics, the state-run Xinhua News Agency described the video as having gone viral.
Not all of the responses have been glowing. Slovakia’s chef de mission, Roman Bucek, described “big problems” at three villages that included “a problem with a bath, with cloths, with sewage.”
The conditions at isolation facilities for people inside the bubble who test positive for the coronavirus have been the biggest flashpoint in the athlete experience, heightened by the reality that the virus could knock someone out of an event they’ve trained four years to compete in.
Several countries — Belgium, Germany and the Russian Olympic Committee among them — expressed concerns about the facilities where their athletes were isolated. Chun Huang, deputy director-general for the pandemic response at the Games, acknowledged “we cannot be complacent and continue to try and make improvements” to isolation conditions.
The exact number of athletes who have tested positive isn’t known, but organizers have reported cases from 184 athletes and team officials.
In one example, Valeriia Vasnetcova, a biathlete who had been scheduled to compete for the ROC, posted a photo on Instagram of a meager meal in isolation along with a heartfelt plea.
“My stomach hurts, I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes,” she wrote. “I want this to end.”
The account has since been turned private.
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skating phenom expected to score gold in the women's free skate final, faltered while in the midst of a drugs test scandal.
In December, the teen tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication used to treat angina and which can increase blood flow to the heart, experts say.
The results didn't come to light until Valieva was already in Beijing and had won gold in the figure skating team event as she became the first woman to land a quad -- a jump that involves four spins in the air.
Despite Valieva's positive test, she was allowed to compete in the individual figure skating event on the grounds that she was a minor.
During her final program this week, though, she fell several times on the ice and placed fourth behind fellow Russian Olympic Committee teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, who came in first and second respectively. She finished her routine in tears.
Now, eyes are trained on Valieva's coach, a team doctor and the competitive figure skating community in Russia for their roles in what happened to Valieva.
AP file
Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skating phenom expected to score gold in the women's free skate final, faltered while in the midst of a drugs test scandal.
In December, the teen tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication used to treat angina and which can increase blood flow to the heart, experts say.
The results didn't come to light until Valieva was already in Beijing and had won gold in the figure skating team event as she became the first woman to land a quad -- a jump that involves four spins in the air.
Despite Valieva's positive test, she was allowed to compete in the individual figure skating event on the grounds that she was a minor.
During her final program this week, though, she fell several times on the ice and placed fourth behind fellow Russian Olympic Committee teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, who came in first and second respectively. She finished her routine in tears.
Now, eyes are trained on Valieva's coach, a team doctor and the competitive figure skating community in Russia for their roles in what happened to Valieva.
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
A composed yet jubilant Nathan Chen gave the performance of his career in the men's single skating competition -- and claimed what was rightfully his after a shocking loss at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Skating to a medley of songs including Elton John's "Rocket Man," Chen confidently executed a whopping five quad jumps and ended a nearly five-minute performance with a triumphant smile.
"I definitely wanted to be able to get past that," Chen told CNN of his 2018 performance, in which he fell and failed to medal.
"I wanted to be able to have two short programs that I felt very proud of and fulfilled by, and I'm really glad that I was able to have that experience here."
AP file
A composed yet jubilant Nathan Chen gave the performance of his career in the men's single skating competition -- and claimed what was rightfully his after a shocking loss at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Skating to a medley of songs including Elton John's "Rocket Man," Chen confidently executed a whopping five quad jumps and ended a nearly five-minute performance with a triumphant smile.
"I definitely wanted to be able to get past that," Chen told CNN of his 2018 performance, in which he fell and failed to medal.
"I wanted to be able to have two short programs that I felt very proud of and fulfilled by, and I'm really glad that I was able to have that experience here."
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
The 18-year-old freeski superstar won three medals at her first Winter Olympics, including two golds. And in her last program, after a near-perfect performance on the women's halfpipe, she even took a well-deserved victory lap.
Born in the US but competing for China, a decision that has been under its fair share of scrutiny, Gu had one of the splashiest Olympics debuts this year. And she made some history while she was at it -- she's the first freestyle skier to earn three medals at a single Games.
"It has been two straight weeks of the most intense highs and lows I've ever experienced in my life," she told reporters after her win. "It has changed my life forever."
AP file
The 18-year-old freeski superstar won three medals at her first Winter Olympics, including two golds. And in her last program, after a near-perfect performance on the women's halfpipe, she even took a well-deserved victory lap.
Born in the US but competing for China, a decision that has been under its fair share of scrutiny, Gu had one of the splashiest Olympics debuts this year. And she made some history while she was at it -- she's the first freestyle skier to earn three medals at a single Games.
"It has been two straight weeks of the most intense highs and lows I've ever experienced in my life," she told reporters after her win. "It has changed my life forever."
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
Norway won 16 gold medals in Beijing, the most any country has won in a single Winter Games. The country's competitors have earned gold in cross-country skiing, speed skating and biathlon, among others.
CNN's Henry Enten says Norway has two big benefits powering its Olympics success: Ideal weather for winter sports and money -- the country is a wealthy country, with its GDP in the top 35 worldwide. Winter sports require a lot of gear, training and funds.
AP file
Norway won 16 gold medals in Beijing, the most any country has won in a single Winter Games. The country's competitors have earned gold in cross-country skiing, speed skating and biathlon, among others.
CNN's Henry Enten says Norway has two big benefits powering its Olympics success: Ideal weather for winter sports and money -- the country is a wealthy country, with its GDP in the top 35 worldwide. Winter sports require a lot of gear, training and funds.
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
Mikaela Shiffrin endured multiple hardships at this year's Games. The American skier had earned gold medals in 2018 and 2014, and fans expected a threepeat from the star in Beijing.
However, things didn't quite work out that way for the 26-year-old Shiffrin who had three DNFs -- "did-not-finish" -- after crashing out in three individual events.
She's been inundated with criticism from viewers and shared screenshots of some of the negative comments she's received. She said in a video shared Friday that, as much as the comments hurt, she hopes that fans who've been in a similar situation can learn to tune out their "haters."
"That message was meant for you guys, to get up and to keep going," she said in a video shared to Twitter. "Get out of bed the next day even though you're getting these messages that make you feel awful."
In her final event at Beijing 2022 the 26-year-old Shiffrin -- along with River Radamus, Tommy Ford and Paula Moltzan -- finished fourth in the mixed team parallel event at the National Alpine Skiing Centre.
"I have had a lot of disappointing moments at these Games, today is not one of them," said Shiffrin. "Today is my favorite memory.
"This was the best possible way that I could imagine ending the Games, skiing with such strong teammates."
AP file
Mikaela Shiffrin endured multiple hardships at this year's Games. The American skier had earned gold medals in 2018 and 2014, and fans expected a threepeat from the star in Beijing.
However, things didn't quite work out that way for the 26-year-old Shiffrin who had three DNFs -- "did-not-finish" -- after crashing out in three individual events.
She's been inundated with criticism from viewers and shared screenshots of some of the negative comments she's received. She said in a video shared Friday that, as much as the comments hurt, she hopes that fans who've been in a similar situation can learn to tune out their "haters."
"That message was meant for you guys, to get up and to keep going," she said in a video shared to Twitter. "Get out of bed the next day even though you're getting these messages that make you feel awful."
In her final event at Beijing 2022 the 26-year-old Shiffrin -- along with River Radamus, Tommy Ford and Paula Moltzan -- finished fourth in the mixed team parallel event at the National Alpine Skiing Centre.
"I have had a lot of disappointing moments at these Games, today is not one of them," said Shiffrin. "Today is my favorite memory.
"This was the best possible way that I could imagine ending the Games, skiing with such strong teammates."
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
The unstoppable 21-year-old snowboarder struck gold yet again with a winning performance on the women's halfpipe -- the same category that earned her a gold medal in 2018, when she was just 17.
That Kim once again dominated was a surprise to no one except maybe Kim herself. She told reporters she'd had "the worst practice ever" before her gold-medal performance, failing to stick most of her landings.
That rough practice didn't show on the snow -- she attempted a trick that involved three-and-a-half spins in the air and earned a score of 94, propelling her to the gold once again.
AP file
The unstoppable 21-year-old snowboarder struck gold yet again with a winning performance on the women's halfpipe -- the same category that earned her a gold medal in 2018, when she was just 17.
That Kim once again dominated was a surprise to no one except maybe Kim herself. She told reporters she'd had "the worst practice ever" before her gold-medal performance, failing to stick most of her landings.
That rough practice didn't show on the snow -- she attempted a trick that involved three-and-a-half spins in the air and earned a score of 94, propelling her to the gold once again.
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
The California-born 19-year-old, competing for Team China, was bombarded with negative comments online after falling on the ice during the women's figure skating short program earlier this month.
Zhu, who gave up her American citizenship to compete on China's team in 2018 and changed her name from Beverly Zhu, has been criticized by Chinese viewers for her lack of fluency in Chinese in addition to her disappointing performance at the Games.
Still, Zhu is finding the positives in her 2022 trip to the Games. In an Instagram post shared earlier this week, Zhu said she "persevered through years of adversity, and came out a stronger person."
AP file
The California-born 19-year-old, competing for Team China, was bombarded with negative comments online after falling on the ice during the women's figure skating short program earlier this month.
Zhu, who gave up her American citizenship to compete on China's team in 2018 and changed her name from Beverly Zhu, has been criticized by Chinese viewers for her lack of fluency in Chinese in addition to her disappointing performance at the Games.
Still, Zhu is finding the positives in her 2022 trip to the Games. In an Instagram post shared earlier this week, Zhu said she "persevered through years of adversity, and came out a stronger person."
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
The American speed skater almost didn't make it to the Olympics -- she slipped during qualifying trials -- until a teammate gave up her spot so Jackson could compete.
That swap proved to be well worth it -- Jackson, 29, became the first Black woman to medal in Olympic speed skating, according to Team USA, and the first American woman to win a gold medal in speed skating since 1994.
She clinched the victory by skating just 0.08 seconds ahead of Japan's silver medalist.
"I cried immediately, it was just a big release of emotion," she told reporters. "A lot of shock, a lot of relief and a lot of happiness."
AP file
The American speed skater almost didn't make it to the Olympics -- she slipped during qualifying trials -- until a teammate gave up her spot so Jackson could compete.
That swap proved to be well worth it -- Jackson, 29, became the first Black woman to medal in Olympic speed skating, according to Team USA, and the first American woman to win a gold medal in speed skating since 1994.
She clinched the victory by skating just 0.08 seconds ahead of Japan's silver medalist.
"I cried immediately, it was just a big release of emotion," she told reporters. "A lot of shock, a lot of relief and a lot of happiness."
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
AP file
Meyers Taylor became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history after she won a bronze medal in the two-woman bobsleigh on Saturday.
The medal is the fifth for Meyers Taylor -- passing Shani Davis' four -- as the 37-year-old became the most decorated woman Olympic bobsledder of all-time.
"It's so crazy to hear that stat and to know that I'm part of a legacy that's bigger than me," said Meyers Taylor. "Hopefully it just encourages more and more black athletes to come out to winter sports and not just black athletes, winter sports for everybody."
Sunday's Closing Ceremony was likely emotional for Meyers Taylor -- she was Team USA's flagbearer -- who has hinted this would likely be her last Olympics.
"I'm going to take some time to really think about this. It's going to be really hard to top this Olympics. Two medals and now closing it out with flagbearer, it's going to be really, really hard to top that."
AP file
Meyers Taylor became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history after she won a bronze medal in the two-woman bobsleigh on Saturday.
The medal is the fifth for Meyers Taylor -- passing Shani Davis' four -- as the 37-year-old became the most decorated woman Olympic bobsledder of all-time.
"It's so crazy to hear that stat and to know that I'm part of a legacy that's bigger than me," said Meyers Taylor. "Hopefully it just encourages more and more black athletes to come out to winter sports and not just black athletes, winter sports for everybody."
Sunday's Closing Ceremony was likely emotional for Meyers Taylor -- she was Team USA's flagbearer -- who has hinted this would likely be her last Olympics.
"I'm going to take some time to really think about this. It's going to be really hard to top this Olympics. Two medals and now closing it out with flagbearer, it's going to be really, really hard to top that."
Pleasant or difficult? Olympic Village experiences at Beijing Games varied by athlete.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS
Buses are parked next to the Olympic Village at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, on Feb. 4, 2022, in Yanqing, China. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS
Buses are parked next to the Olympic Village at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, on Feb. 4, 2022, in Yanqing, China. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
