"Final Image of Beijing Olympics: Valieva in Tears After Disastrous Free Skating - Harsh Criticism from WP"

Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), who was involved in the 'doping scandal,' competed in the women's singles free skating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, on the afternoon of the 17th. After finishing her performance, she left the rink in tears. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seo-young] The American daily The Washington Post (WP) described the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as an event that will be remembered as the "Scandal Olympics" ahead of its closing.

On the 19th (local time), The Washington Post stated in an editorial, "The final image of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will be that of 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva shedding tears after falling out of medal contention following a disastrous free skate." Valieva, who was embroiled in controversy after testing positive in a doping sample, competed in the individual event due to a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but failed to win a medal.

The Washington Post pointed out, "Valieva's final performance was a painful display of a teenager's mental breakdown. She fell twice and made mistakes throughout," adding, "All these trials were so severe that the coach's scolding of her while she sobbed appeared almost like child abuse." The editorial continued, "The Olympics have long been filled with controversies, but this (2022 Beijing Winter Olympics) set a new low," and harshly criticized it as the "Scandal Olympics."

They also noted, "There were major issues even before the Valieva incident," highlighting China's human rights abuses triggered by tennis player Peng Shuai. Peng had accused a high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault but disappeared for a long time before retracting her claims ahead of the Olympics. The Washington Post criticized, "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) aided China's cover-up."

Chinese short track speed skater Ren Ziwei, who won the gold medal in the men's 1000m short track event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Washington Post also pointed out, "Concerns over China's human rights abuses against Tibetans and Uyghurs in Xinjiang were so strong that the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom previously adopted diplomatic boycotts of the Olympics." It also rebutted IOC President Thomas Bach's remarks expressing hope that Valieva would not participate, stating, "Considering that Bach led the IOC during the Russian doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, it is difficult to take his words seriously."

Furthermore, The Washington Post listed numerous unsavory scenes during this Olympics, such as "The ROC women's ice hockey team failed to report COVID-19 test results on time," and "Malicious Chinese netizens shamed athletes who did not perform well." In particular, it mentioned ROC's Alexandra Trusova, who won the silver medal in women's figure skating, shouting, "Everyone except me has a gold medal. I hate this sport."

The Washington Post suggested, "For the Olympics to survive, the organizers must engage in self-reflection," proposing, "Improvements in doping tests are necessary, and minimum age requirements should be established in more sports, as was done in women's gymnastics." Additionally, it emphasized, "The IOC must guarantee basic human rights in host countries or find permanent democratic hosts," stressing, "The Olympics are meant to celebrate the achievements of human athletic competition, not to abuse young athletes and deceive the IOC."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.