[Olympics] Conclusion of 17 Days of Fierce Competition... Korea Finishes 14th Overall with a Successful Outcome

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Closing, 2 Gold 5 Silver 2 Bronze, Overall 14th Place
Olympics Marred by Controversies over Human Rights Issues, Hanbok Appropriation, Biased Judging, and Doping

On the afternoon of the 4th, a performance themed "Together for a Shared Future" took place at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a global winter festival, concluded after a 17-day journey.

Starting on the 4th and running nonstop until the 20th, the Beijing Winter Olympics ended its 17-day journey with the closing ceremony on this day. However, the event, which was supposed to be a 'festival' for the world, became an Olympics marred by poor event management and judging controversies.

South Korea finished 14th overall with 2 gold medals, 5 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. Although the Korea Sports Council's pre-Games goal of winning 1-2 gold medals and entering the top 15 was achieved, the team failed to secure medals in key events, ending the Games with the lowest performance in 30 years.

The host country China achieved its best-ever results. Norway ranked first overall with 16 gold, 8 silver, and 13 bronze medals. Germany (12 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze), China (9 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze), and the United States (8 gold, 10 silver, 7 bronze) followed. Japan ranked 12th (3 gold, 6 silver, 9 bronze).

By hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics following the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing became a city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

However, despite the Olympic hosting record, controversies unrelated to competition continued before the Games began. The opening had to be held under adverse conditions due to the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, and Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom declared diplomatic boycotts, sending athlete delegations but no government representatives, in response to international criticism of human rights issues within China.

Choi Min-jeong, a member of the Korean short track speed skating team who won the gold medal in the women's 1,500m at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is taking a commemorative photo with the medalists at the medal ceremony held at the Medal Plaza in Beijing, China, on the afternoon of the 17th. From left: Arianna Fontana (silver medal), Choi Min-jeong (gold medal), Suzanne Schulting (bronze medal). Photo by Yonhap News

At the opening ceremony, a woman wearing hanbok appeared as a Chinese ethnic minority, sparking widespread public backlash over China's 'historical distortion.' In short track speed skating, a discipline where South Korea is strong, controversies arose as Korean athletes suffered from unfair judgments while Chinese athletes were relatively favored.

In response, the Korean delegation announced plans to file a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In the mixed team ski jumping event, Germany, Norway, Austria, and Japan were disqualified for violating uniform regulations, further spreading the impact of unfair judgments.

Doping controversies, which should not occur at the Olympics, also emerged. Kamila Valieva, a female singles figure skater competing under the Russian Olympic Committee due to state-sponsored doping allegations, was found during the Games to have tested positive for banned substances in a sample submitted during a domestic Russian competition in December last year. Valieva, who competed following a CAS decision, was unable to overcome the pressure and finished without a medal.

In snow sports held on 100% artificial snow, poor management of competition facilities led to nearly half of the alpine skiing participants failing to complete their runs, raising injury risks. Additionally, the amount of water used to make snow during the Games was equivalent to filling 800 Olympic-sized swimming pools, enough to supply drinking water for 100 million people for a day, raising environmental concerns.

Leaving regrets behind, the world’s sports representatives concluded the Games and look forward to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

Italy will host the Winter Olympics for the third time, following Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006.