25 Ways The 2022 Winter Olympics Devolved Into An Utter Disaster

12. Horrible Ratings

Many people refused to watch this year’s Winter Olympics as a protest (via BSM). Tokyo and Beijing had successive events. The Beijing Games were the least watched Olympics in history. Time zones were also a factor. That and with the NFL postseason going on it was a trio of bad timing and bad publicity that gave this Winter Olympics horrible ratings all around.

11 . “I Hate This Sport”

We’ve all had an outrage here and there. Olympic athletes are not immune to feelings of anger and frustration, and that includes Russian figure skater Alexandra Trusova. She shouted “I hate this sport” and pleaded she would never go into figure skating again after learning her result.

“Runner-up Alexandra Trusova was also in despair after her history-making five quadruple jumps proved not enough to beat teammate Anna Shcherbakova to the gold medal.” – via Washington Post

10. Geopolitics

The Winter Olympics aren’t immune to political tensions, especially since it’s taking place in China. Long-time tensions between China and Taiwan continue, as China tries to claim the island as part of their territory. China is trying to forcefully unify the countries by making incursions into Taiwanese airspace. We can see parallels with China and Nazi Germany in the 1936 Olympics.

9. Unfair Advantages

We all hope that the games in the Winter Olympics are as fair as possible. Sometimes, however, that’s not the case. This year, Russians won the team event because they used athlete Valieva two times, instead of Shcherbakova or Trusova to skate. But, because of Valieva’s drug case, their win could potentially be taken away. This trio is known as the ‘Quad Squad.’

8. Poor Reactions

Coaches are there to train and to motivate. Sometimes, they can take it a bit too far and use harsh words that actually have the opposite effect on athletes. Cameras at the Winter Olympics caught Eteri Tutberidze, a notoriously strict coach, using harsh words against Valieva. Authorities will investigate her further because of the failed drug test.

​​IOC President Thomas Bach even revealed dissatisfaction at how the entire ordeal unfolded. “When I afterwards saw how she was received by her closest entourage, with such, what appeared to be a tremendous coldness, it was chilling to see this,” Bach said at a news conference. “Rather than giving her comfort, rather than to try to help her, you could feel this chilling atmosphere, this distance.” – via Washington Post

7. Genocide

China enforced sterilizations and executions on its citizens. This is in an attempt to suppress the Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, China. In recent history, this is one of the worst crimes to date. They’re committing genocide, and yet were still able to host this year’s 2022 Winter Olympics. It’s a shame this event was allowed to take place (via PBS).

6. Barren Venues

We expect the Winter Olympics to be full of onlookers, cheering the athletes on. This year was the complete opposite. Pictures of the Winter Olympics have shown barren stadiums devoid of spectators other than the odd local here and there (via The Sun UK). This is not only a disgrace to China, but to the Olympics in general.

5. Disgusting Food

Food for an athlete is fuel. Without the appropriate fuel, they’re not able to perform as well as they can. Unfortunately, at this year’s Winter Olympics, the food was considered horrendous and inedible (via The Sun UK). Athletes ate a few lumps of pasta, chunks of meat still attached to bone, something that may or may not have been chicken, several potatoes, and a strange sauce. They ate this three times a day, five days in a row. Vasnetsova complained about the food and even admitted it left her emaciated.

4. Fake Snow

Apparently, icy winds and freezing temperatures weren’t enough to convince everyone it was the Winter Olympics. Beijing took it to another level and produced fake snow. This took a turn for the worse due to its false nature. Fake snow is denser than real snow, so athletes ended up with more injuries and bruising because of it. – via Insider

3. “Hellscape Venue”

The surroundings of the Winter Olympics were less than par. In fact, it was so bad that stunned social media users called it a “Hellscape Venue.” In the background of the venue where skiers perform was disused steel works, giving it a very dystopian feeling. It wasn’t something you want to look at during the Winter Olympics, because the games are usually visually stunning.

2. Flooding In The Venue

Not only have this year’s athletes had to deal with a plethora of disasters, but to top it all off, they had to deal with flooding. According to Instagram videos posted by cross-country skier Katri Lylynpera, water came gushing through ceiling light fixtures and sprinklers (via The Sun UK). It was more than just a leak, it was more of a waterfall according to the Finnish competitor and it made her experience horrible as a result.

1. Natalia Metiswska’s Tears

Due to conflicting COVID-19 test results, Polish speed skater Natalia Maliszewska was repeatedly and forcefully moved into and out of quarantine over several days (via The Sun UK). This isn’t the sort of behavior you’d expect athletes to receive at the Winter Olympics, or just in general.

“It was 3 a.m, I was crying like crazy because I didn’t know what was going on. I did not feel safe at all,” she said. “I want explanations from the people who made me feel not safe, because nobody is saying anything now. They’re silent.”