the trials have begun, curling has laid the first stone

Curling launched sports competitions at the Beijing Olympics (February 4-20) on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony and after weeks marked by concerns over Covid-19 and political tensions linked to diplomatic boycotts.

History will remember that the United States were the first winners of this Olympic fortnight by dominating Australia (6-5) during the preliminary round of the mixed doubles tournament.

And unlike the Tokyo Olympics behind closed doors last summer, an audience – admittedly sparse – was able to attend the meetings. The spectators, guests among the resident population since China decided to invite the public after banning foreign travelers and refusing to sell tickets, were even able to get excited for China’s victory against Switzerland ( 7-6).

Earlier in the day, the Olympic flame entered the Chinese capital, the first city in history to host the Summer (2008) and Winter Olympics.

Under a temperature of -5 degrees, Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng lit the long red and silver torch before passing it to the first torchbearers. Among them were former NBA basketball player Yao Ming or astronaut Jing Haipeng.

Curling has therefore launched the sports fortnight, at the end of which 109 Olympic titles will be awarded in 15 disciplines bringing together nearly 3,000 athletes.

The events are organized around three distinct zones. In Beijing, ice sports and big air will take place, organized on an impressive 60 m high platform on the ruins of an old steelworks.

Zhangjiakou station, 180 km northwest of Beijing, hosts Nordic events, biathlon, snowboarding and freestyle skiing, with the exception of big air, and finally the city of Yanqing, 75 km north -west of Beijing, is the scene of alpine skiing and luge, skeleton and bobsleigh events.

– First title on Saturday –

The highlights will be, as always, alpine skiing and in particular the consecration of the king and queen of speed, with the men’s downhill from Sunday and the women’s downhill on Thursday 15, figure skating, with dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron and the Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu who is aiming for an extremely rare hat-trick.

The freestyle skiing and snowboarding events promise to be very spectacular, with the presence of legend Shaun White, 35, who already has three Olympic half-pipe titles to his name.

Perrine Laffont (moguls), Tess Ledeux (slopestyle and big air) and skicross are the tricolor assets.

The French clan will also rely on biathlon, expected to be one of the main providers of medals, with Quentin-Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin dominating the World Cup season, or even Julia Simon and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet still capable of podiums.

On Thursday, ice hockey and mogul skiing will begin in turn, with in particular the first jumps of Perrine Laffont, Olympic champion 2018 and again favorite this year.

Even more than usual, the controversies were not lacking before this meeting in Beijing, the first medal of which will be distributed on Saturday with the women’s skiathlon.

Diplomatic-political controversies first: following the United States, several countries (Great Britain, Canada, Australia…) have decided on a diplomatic boycott to denounce human rights violations in China and will not send official officials in Beijing.

– Zero Covid strategy –

France will normally be represented by Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu, from February 11 to 15, while Tony Estanguet, the boss of Paris-2024, was forced to give up the trip, positive for Covid.

For fear of the transmission of the virus in the population, while the Chinese authorities advocate the zero Covid strategy, the organizers have set up very strict and hermetic sanitary bubbles.

Barricaded hotels and sites, daily anti-Covid tests for the approximately 60,000 people living in the bubble, compulsory wearing of masks, use of robots to serve coffee, drinks and meals in certain catering establishments are signs of local fear.

Finally, there is the environmental issue. The recurring absence of snow on the mountains of Zhangjiakou and Yanqing is compensated by tons of artificial snow deposited on the tracks drawn in the middle of landscapes virgin of all white traces.

But the sportsmen prefer them to concentrate on the sporting aspect. “I’m on the site for the competition. You had to ask yourself the question before, when the Games were awarded,” said Alexis Pinturault, one of the great chances of French medals in alpine skiing.

“Otherwise they did a good job, we are very well received and everything is magnificent,” he said.

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