Back to the day’s events.
That’s it, it’s (officially) gone for the XXIVand Winter Olympics ! Chinese President, Xi Jinping, kicked off at the official ceremony on Friday 4 February. Beijing thus made history by becoming the first city to host the Summer (2008) and Winter Games.
Despite the diplomatic boycott of several countries including the United States, some twenty leaders, including the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and the Russian President, Vladimir Poutine, attended the show directed by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The “Bird’s Nest”, filled to a third, saw the 91 delegations parade.
After just over two hours, the ceremony ended when the giant snowflake-shaped cauldron burst into flames in the Beijing sky. They are two young Chinese athletes qualified for these Games, Zhao Jiamen and Diniger Yilamujiangborn 20 years ago in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, who were the last bearers of the flame.
In figure skatingthe United States, bronze medalists in 2018, are at the top of the classification of the team event at the end of the first of the three days of competition.
In curling mixed doublesthe reigning Canadian Olympic champions pocketed two new victories while the Italian duo continued their clear round (4 wins in 4 games).
The second day of the preliminary round of hockey women saw victories for China (against Denmark) and the Russian Olympic Committee (against Switzerland).
Discover tomorrow’s menu.
Time for (really) serious things on Saturday with the distribution of the first medals, and many French people in the running.
Starting with the biathlon mixed relay (at 10 a.m., Paris time), composed of Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet, Julia Simon, Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet. If none of them was part of the gold medal team in 2018, the quartet is aiming for the podium and why not the top step.
Also on the program mixed short-track relay (from 1:23 p.m. Paris time), a new event at the Winter Olympics, where Gwendoline Daudet, Tifany Huot-Marchand, Quentin Fercoq and Sébastien Lepape will represent France.
Third in qualifying on Thursday, Benjamin Cavett will try to win his first Olympic medal in mogul skiing (from 12:30 p.m. Paris time).
In women, the skiathlon (from 8:45 a.m. Paris time) and individual ski jumping competition (from 11:45 a.m. Paris time), where several French women are lined up, will be additional medal chances.
No (yet) medal in play for Lucile Lefevrebut the 26-year-old snowboarder will compete in qualifying for the slopestyle final (3:45 a.m. Paris time).
The Games in a snapshot.
You are not dreaming, this photo was taken in a hotel, in this case in Zhangjiakou, one of the host cities of the Games. The Covid still hangs over these Winter Olympics and Beijing does not take the situation lightly. Volunteers and officials protected from head to toe, sanitary bubble, daily tests, social distancing to be respected: the protocol is strict, and there is no question of releasing the pressure, even for a cocktail. Drastic conditions that make these Games, already controversial, even more special.
The Olympians on the microphone.
“ I hope that Sunday will not be like that, otherwise it will be the complete lottery. »
It was just a practice, John Clarey at ” afraid “ Friday. The fault is not with the 100% artificial snow that makes up the downhill run, but with the wind: “I had big gusts, at times I couldn’t see where I was putting my feet, I skied on the back, I’m not going to learn a lot of lessons today, it was just towards “, declared in the mixed zone the dean of the France team. The other victim of the wind? His skis, which he burned “on the edge of the edges quite quickly, because the wind dried the snow and made it very cold”.
The 41-year-old Frenchman, bandaged in the face (nose and cheekbones) to protect himself from the cold, hopes that the conditions will be better for Sunday’s race, which will launch the alpine skiing events: “My main fear is the wind, we knew that, it’s been confirmed. We will have to have a good race and pray. » To your candles!
The Covid continues to play spoilsport, sometimes taking the athletes by surprise as soon as they arrive. On Friday, the German Olympic Committee announced that the three-time Nordic combined Olympic champion Eric Frenzelas well as his teammate Terence Weber, tested positive. They can still hope to participate in the tests, which begin on Wednesday February 9, if they present two negative PCR tests separated by at least twenty-four hours.
Same Damocles sword above the French skater Adam Siao Him Fa, also tested positive for Covid-19 on his arrival in Beijing. His trainer, Laurent Depouilly, however, remains optimistic: “For the moment, it does not compromise his participation in the short program” men, which will take place on Tuesday.
Snapshot of our special envoys.
To move around the Olympic bubble, the organizers have set up a shuttle system to take participants from one point to another. Navigating through it is not easy and beware of anyone who thinks they can deviate from it. We speak from experience! After a visit to the site that houses the Nordic events in Zhangjiakou, we wanted to join the second “cluster” of the area – no kidding, it’s aptly named – where the freestyle rounds are contested.
But now, we missed the correspondence. The next bus not arriving for ten minutes and the temperature bordering on -20 degrees, we ask the volunteer on site if we can take shelter in the checkpoints to wait. “Impossible, it is forbidden. » Realizing that our hotel is only a few tens of meters away, we try to negotiate to be able to get warm. Sorry response from the interested party: “Impossible, here we only move with the shuttles, that’s the rule. »