The Olympic flame arrives in Beijing: hard to rejoice!

Virginie Phulpin 7:27 am, October 21, 2021

The Olympic flame has just arrived in Beijing just over 100 days before the opening of the Winter Games.

But for now, there is mostly silence and unanswered questions as the event approaches. 

The Olympic flame which arrives in the host country of the games, normally there is an air of celebration. But here the enthusiasm is discreet, to say the least. Already the lighting ceremony took place behind closed doors earlier this week in Olympia, Greece. We are almost used to no longer tasting the popular effervescence that precedes major events. Difficult to get in the bath. Behind closed doors, yes, apart from a few human rights activists who tried to make their voices heard to demand the postponement of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. But even they didn't really manage to break the silence. The International Olympic Committee did not even mention them in its press release. Because we do not derogate from the sacrosanct rule of political neutrality when it comes to games.I wonder who still really believes in this lack of politics in sport.

In short, the Olympic flame is circulate there is nothing to see.

It's not even clear exactly what the torch relay in China will look like, or how long it will last.

There are more smoke screens than flame more than 100 days before the opening ceremony. 

And the Olympic and Paralympic Games themselves, under what conditions? 

The only thing we can be sure of is that there will be no foreign spectators. But the organizers still make us dangle the possible presence of an exclusively Chinese audience. We don't have to believe them. Last week there was a big skating competition in Beijing, which also served as a rehearsal for these games. Well it took place behind closed doors. Moreover, for the moment, there is no sale of tickets for these Olympic and Paralympic games. Not enough to cry wolf, we are not yet completely out of the health crisis, so it even seems rather logical to see the event unfold as strictly as in Tokyo this summer. No one in the stands, apart from a few distinguished guests, officials. Normal too, like in Tokyo.

But Chinese President Xi Jinping has found nothing better than to invite Vladimir Putin.

We are talking about the Russian president whose country is suspended by the Olympic movement until December 2022 for organized doping.

The Russian flag and anthem will be banned in Beijing, but the president will be there.

Because he is invited in a personal capacity.

And after the IOC wants us to believe that politics has no place in games ...