Beijing ended up solving that problem, but only after four European cities thought about it and dropped out, mostly because of expense and lack of public support.
Starting with Friday’s opening ceremony at the lattice-ribboned Bird’s Nest Stadium, the spotlight will be trained on China, a country with human-rights record that troubles many, an authoritarian government and a “zero-tolerance” policy when it comes to COVID.
“This is one where you can do your absolute best but you kind of have to juggle your sanity and being able to perform at the Olympics, and not lose your mind beforehand,” U.S.
— Dignitaries won’t attend, but athletes still will.
None will be allowed out of the hotels and venues that are cordoned off from the city and mountains where the Games will take place.
Some of the few signs that she might be OK have come courtesy of the IOC, which has shown pictures of Bach in video meetings with Peng, The IOC has indicated it will meet with Peng during the Olympics, but its previous meetings have brought forth as many questions as answers.
With tensions escalating on the Ukraine border, this conjures memories of the 2014 Olympics in Putin’s home country, during which Russia invaded and took over the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.
The mountains hosting action sports and cross country skiing are about 150 miles from the Gobi Desert; they average less than a foot of snow a year.
Oh, and about the sports — Norway is a decent bet to win the most medals, in part on the strength of a deep roster of biathletes and cross country skiers.
All in all, this is quite a different look for China from the last time the Olympics descended.
“There are two audiences for this,” said David Bachman, an expert on China who teaches at University of Washington.
Improvements in the mountains came thanks to the Olympics, and China is banking on a burst of new skiers and snowboarders to follow.
Beijing organizers have put out a budget of around $3.9 billion, but with no watchdogs tracking the money, the real cost is anyone’s guess.
The money goes for what the IOC touts as a much-needed 17-day break from strife and politics — a break that allows a worldwide audience to revel in the glow of athletic accomplishment.