The extreme weather in Beijing on Sunday was a reminder that even these Olympics are going to create spontaneous moments of joy and unpredictable moments
BEIJING, China — If you’re going to freeze to death at a Winter Olympics in China, do it early, is what I always say. And so, as the Games began, I took a train, a bus, a cab, another bus and a gondola to the men’s downhill, where temperatures were rumored to be in the negative four-millions. As it turns out, it actually wasn’t that cold. But it was apparently too windy to race down a mountain like an insane person, and so the downhill was postponed.
There was something mildly reassuring about knowing that a government that wants to control everything still can’t control the wind. Unpredictable weather is as much a part of the Winter Olympics as balletic skaters getting robbed by corrupt judges. Wind delays could and do happen anywhere, even at a real ski resort.
It was a reminder that these Olympics, like all others, are going to create spontaneous moments of joy, even if the few people allowed to attend events are not allowed to celebrate them because of more stupid COVID protocols. Fans are allowed to clap but not cheer from behind their masks.
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