COVID protocols limit the guest list for the opening of China's Winter Olympics

COVID protocols¹ limit the guest list for the opening of China's Winter Olympics

Transcript²

Athletes in the parade of nations will filter into a mostly empty stadium. There's a limited guest list due to pandemic security, but Russian President Putin is expected to be among the VIPs.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The Winter Olympics began today in Beijing. Almost 3,000 athletes compete in the days ahead - the skiing, the skating, the curling - but the location of these Games makes them about more than sports. Russian President Vladimir Putin was at the opening ceremonies following a meeting with China's president, Xi Jinping, the host of the Games. NPR's Brian Mann is covering the Olympics in Beijing. Hey there, Brian.

BRIAN MANN, BYLINE³: Hey, Steve.

INSKEEP: What were the opening ceremonies like?

MANN: Well, you know, we saw athletes from a lot of these nations competing here file in from Eritrea and Iran to the United States, of course. The two flag bearers for the U.S. were John Shuster - he's a curler - that's the sport where they use brooms to guide those cool little stones over the ice. His team won a surprise gold medal four years ago. And the other flag bearer was a speed skater, Brittany Bowe, who subbed for veteran bobsled racer Elana Meyers Taylor. She was chosen to carry the flag but had to isolate⁴ after testing positive for COVID-19. So right out of the gate, we're sort of feeling the pandemic here. And then before and after the athletes had their moment, there was a pretty wonderful show, dancers at one point moving with long streamers of light. There were fireworks. But I will say, because of the pandemic, this was scaled back from the spectacle we've seen at past Olympics.

INSKEEP: I'm interested in hearing of that high-profile positive COVID test, given that the athletes and others are supposed to be in a kind of bubble insulated from COVID. Was there even much of an audience for the ceremony?

MANN: You know, Steve, the stadium seemed maybe half full. It did not feel empty, which was nice. And as you mentioned, one notable guest here was Russian President Vladimir Putin. He's held these high-profile meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. They've been talking about economic cooperation and a big new energy pact⁵. And Putin's presence - a big contrast to the official position of the U.S. government. The Biden administration decided⁶ in December to stage a diplomatic boycott⁷ of these Winter Games because of what the White House calls ongoing⁸ genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people here in China. So the pandemic, that's definitely shaping a lot of the Olympic experience, but politics and these questions about human rights are also right in the middle.

INSKEEP: Yeah, as I understand it, the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach had to take questions this week about the persecution⁹ of Uyghurs and also about why they decided to hold the Games in China at all. What did he say?

MANN: Well, he keeps trying to make the argument that sports and politics just shouldn't mix, that the Olympics should be kept apart from everything that's happening in the world and here in China. Here he is.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

THOMAS BACH: If we are taking a political standpoint, then we are putting the Games at risk.

MANN: But, of course, with Putin in the stands tonight and China's President Xi a central figure in all of this, the optics are unavoidable - you know, two authoritarian¹⁰ leaders highly visible as these Winter Games get started.

INSKEEP: What do you hear the athletes saying about all of this?

MANN: Well, you know, again and again, athletes from the U.S. say they're trying to pivot¹¹ from this politics and from the pandemic to enjoy this moment. Here's Maggie Voisin, a freestyle skier¹² from Whitefish, Mont.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MAGGIE VOISIN: I'm really pleasantly surprised with just how much we've been able to do and how much we've been able to interact with other countries. It's really just been such a wonderful experience. And we're fired up to get this show going.

MANN: And it's important to remember, Steve, for a lot of these athletes the next couple of weeks, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is competition they've been training for, in many cases, their whole lives. These young people do want to have some fun and enjoy all this.

INSKEEP: NPR's Brian Mann is at the Winter Games in Beijing. Brian, thanks so much.

MANN: Thank you, Steve.

INSKEEP: And the Games were broadcast live in the U.S. on NBC this morning. A repeat broadcast comes up this evening.

1 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

5 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

10 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

11 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

12 skier   

n.滑雪运动员

参考例句：

• She is a skier who is unafraid of danger.她是一名敢于冒险的滑雪者。
• The skier skimmed across the snow.滑雪者飞快地滑过雪地。