Beijing's 'invisible' Olympics: Muted but watched online

Zhou Jun remembers the run-up to the 2008 Summer Olympics, when it seemed like everyone was learning English to be able to communicate with the foreign visitors about to descend on the city.

Athletes and foreign fans roamed the city throughout the Games. “I remember that the streets and alleys were filled with the theme song of the Beijing Olympics,” the 37-year-old said. “There were mascots everywhere. The atmosphere was very festive.”

The Olympics returned this year to a China that has changed in many ways, and the atmosphere has been much more subdued.

Only a select few can watch the competitions in person because of the pandemic, and strict COVID protocols are keeping the 16,000 athletes and other participants completely separated from the local population.

Like so many other things in this pandemic era, Beijingers are largely experiencing the Games on their smartphones, not much different from fans thousands of miles from the venues.

Lu Linjin remembers the excitement she felt in 2008, watching some of the world’s top volleyball teams. Now 34, she is keeping up mostly via short videos and livestreams — both of which did not exist the last time the Olympics came to China.

“I would love to watch the sporting events in person, but if doing so means that I’d have to be tested for the coronavirus, then forget it,” she said. “Even if I could be there, the atmosphere of the Winter Olympics during the pandemic is not the same. ... It’s a shame.”

The small number of Beijing residents who do get to attend Olympic events this year must take four coronavirus tests — two before and two afterward.

China and the world have changed in the 14 years since the 2008 Summer Games, when a buoyant Beijing was proud to host a major international event for the first time and eager to...