Olympics 2.0?: Questions for Beijing and the Winter Games
Hooray! Beijing is an Olympic host city again, the first city to be able to say that and not be hosting the games in the summer for a second time.
So now that the question of which city will host the Olympic Winter Games (as they are officially known) is settled, we're wondering about a few other things, in no particular order:
1. Will this be Beijing Olympics 2.0?
With a focus on frugality and sustainability, and the re-use of numerous venues from the first time around, how much of this Olympics will be a re-tread of 2008? We'd be super happy if the Fuwas made a return, clad in snowsuits, and if "Beijing Huanying Ni" got a bit of a remix but was otherwise retained as the official song.
2. Who will direct the opening ceremonies?
Zhang Yimou's epic opening ceremony performance for the 2008 Olympics' will be tough to top. Considering the opening ceremonies will be in the National Stadium (the Bird's Nest), the exact same venue as in 2008, will Zhang be called upon again to raise the curtain on another Olympics? This is kind of an extension of the above question.
3. What will China's strategy be to "win" the 2022 Olympics?
No, no, not the whole hosting thing, that's over. In 2008, China won more gold medals – 51 in total – than any other nation. China counts Olympic victory in gold medals, not in total medals, so based on its performance at the 2014 Olympics, it will have to win 11 more gold medals than the three it brought home from Russia to top the host nation (Russia won 13 golds at Sochi). In 2008, it did this in part by focusing resources on sports that most other nations didn't care about so much, like women's target shooting and women's weight lifting. Where can China focus to make sure that someone named Sven or Ludmila isn't standing above a Chinese athlete on the medal stand?
4. What about social media?
The 2008 Olympics were shared with the rest of the world on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Will those services be available seven years from now, at least during the Olympic period? Or will Tencent (developers of WeChat) have bought all three of those companies by 2022, rendering the whole point moot?
5. Who will light the Olympic flame?
When gold medal-winning gymnast turned entrepreneur Li Ning did his "run" around the upper lip of the National Stadium, it was not only dazzling, but also seen as a local thumb in the eye to global sporting goods maker and Olympic sponsor Adidas. However, it was a high point for Li's company, which has faltered badly since then. China doesn't really have winter sports legends, at least not yet. Who will be ready to light the flame in seven years? Platform diving gold medalist Guo Jingjing cross-country skiing on the roof of the Bird's Nest?
6. Between now and 2022, will non-Chinese sportscasters learn to pronounce "Beijing" with the j in "jump" and not the j in "bonjour"?
Ce n'est pas francais; c'est chinoise. It's not French, it's Chinese. Don't pronounce it with a French j.
7. So, yeah, what is going to happen with all that snow?
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Email: stevenschwankert@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @greatwriteshark
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Photo: Stufish
