Heated VIPs Only, Piles of Rubbish Left Aftermath on the Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony

The Beijing Winter Olympics ended with a record number of medals won by the Japanese team. But more than that, the negative aspects of the Olympics, such as the inexplicable judging and doping scandals, were highlighted.

Even at the closing ceremony held on February 20, various distortions existed in the areas not shown on TV. At 3:00 p.m. on the same day, the reporter left the media center in Beijing and headed for the “Bird’s Nest,” the venue of the closing ceremony. They were not allowed to take cabs or other vehicles reserved for Olympic officials, so they all boarded a shuttle bus.

Before boarding the bus, the Beijing Municipal Police will inspect our baggage and check our bodies. Journalists are also searched at the hotel where they are staying, so it is a “double check. After passing our baggage through a special machine, our entire body was checked with a metal detector, and then our coat pockets and other parts of our body were checked by hand. We were also instructed to drink our drinks in front of us, and we were told that we were not allowed to bring in mobile batteries. It was as strict as boarding an international flight.

It was only a 10-minute bus ride from the media center to the Bird’s Nest. Even though the closing ceremony was to start at 8:00 p.m. local time, the last bus from the media center left after 5:00 p.m.

The last bus from the media center left after 5:00 p.m., even though the closing ceremony started at 8:00 p.m. local time, “We need to get everyone into the venue and make sure it’s safe before the VIPs enter.

The VIPs were given priority. The temperature there was minus one degree Celsius. The Bird’s Nest is not an enclosed venue, so the cold wind is constantly blowing in. The few rest areas were crowded with people seeking warmth.

Volunteers and team members were also pouring into the bird’s nest, crowding into the resting area and other warm places. This made me feel that no matter how many infection control measures were taken elsewhere, a cluster would occur in one shot.

This was also the case at the opening ceremony held on February 4. Many people were rushing to the rest area, and the buses were not coming back at all. When the buses finally arrived, they were packed with people, like a crowded train. Such a “dense” situation was occurring here and there.

There were also piles of cardboard trash here and there at the opening ceremony venue. The cardboard may have been used to store food for the staff and volunteers, and the staff were sitting on the ground eating their meals nearby. It was about two hours before the start of the event, and there were plenty of seats available in the stadium, but they didn’t seem to be allowed to use them.

The most exciting moment of the opening and closing ceremonies was when President Xi Jinping entered the venue. The dancers on the stage waved their hands in unison to the VIP seats, and the audience cheered and applauded.

The Bird’s Nest spectator seating is not heated, but only the VIP zone is. But in the zone where the VIP seats were, the heat was so intense that even the seats directly above the VIP seats felt quite hot.

When President Xi Jinping and IOC President Thomas Bach waved to the audience, there was another loud cheer from the audience. The Chinese journalists in the press box were also waving small flags and shouting joyously.

After the closing ceremony, we were once again crammed into a packed bus on our way home.

In his speech at the closing ceremony, President Bach expressed his gratitude to China, saying, “Thank you, friends of China. Who in the world were the Olympics for? Until the end, I could not shake the feeling that the athletes and fans had been left behind.