Compared to their fairly standard summer counterparts, just about every sport featured in the Winter Olympics seems absolutely insane to me. Like literally every event takes place on an icy or snowy surface. And despite that, every athlete also seems to enjoy flirting with the laws of physics. Which, to be fair, does make for some really entertaining television.
However, these feats of athleticism aren’t the only thing that have caught my attention. Aside from the general problematic nature of the Olympic games and its host country, plus the current scandals, here’s a handful of random things I’ve learned while watching the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics that are just too good not to share.
Bouquets That Will Last a Lifetime
None of the flowers you see are real. That’s right, all the flower bouquets for the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics were hand-knitted from wool by knitting groups in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhejiang and Jiangsu. And they look quite lovely. The choice to go ‘evergreen’ was part of the bigger low-carbon commitment China made when selected to host the games.
Chinese Bagpipers Kickoff Each Curling Match
Curling originated in Scotland, so it makes sense that bagpipes would be the official soundtrack for the sport, but did you know that a group of Chinese bagpipers play “Scotland the Brave” before every game? They do, fully suited up in kilts and all. Check out The New York Times piece on these Beijing-area musicians to learn more about how they found their way to this odd instrument and gig.
You can hear and see them in acton at the very beginning of this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kru8HIFky0A
Introducing Monobob
Monobob is my new favorite name of a sport. Newly added for the 2022 Winter Olympics, monobob is part of the bobsled brethren and a women’s only event. Besides its single rider status, hence the name, monbob also differs in that every competitor uses the same type of sled. There’s no customizing or engineering like the four-man or two-man sleds. Winners in this event are determined solely by driving skills and not by the amount of money sunk into R&D.
The Bob-Spread
Speaking of bobsled, it’s a very expensive sport. To raise extra funds for a third sled needed for the run-up to the Olympic games, the U.S. men’s bobsled team shot and sold a very un-icy calendar dubbed “The Bob-Spread.” The entire shoot was organized by Push athlete Jeremy Reed, who’s also a photographer. While their fundraising goal has already been reached, you can still buy a Bob-Spread calendar if you wish to live out your own Olympic dreams throughout the rest of the year.
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Two People, One Sled
Is this the most ridiculous looking sport in the Winter Olympics? It might be. Unlike bobsled, which adds extra seating to accommodate additional passengers, doubles luge doesn’t bother. Instead, it’s the same as the singles luge with the added bonus of an extra body. Clearly someone at some point was like let’s go down together, the second person agreed, and the rest is history.
