Look inside the Beijing Olympics bubble

Athletes longing for cheering crowds have had their bubbles burst

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  Workers in protective suits at Beijing Capital International Airport, China, assist guests to the 2022 Winter Olympics. AP

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  Olympics workers walk through the Beijing airport. AP

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  An airport worker checks passport information from members of the media in a bus before they are taken to hotels. AP

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  The Olympic Village buses at Beijing airport. AP

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  A photo from an airport bus shows a security officer standing guard at an exit to the airport in Beijing, China. EPA

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  Swiss ski jumper Killian Peier waits to check in his luggage at the Zurich airport before taking off for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. EPA

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  Olympics staff at the Beijing airport in China. EPA

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  Haitian skier Richardson Viano arrives at Beijing airport for the Winter Olympics.

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  A staff member at an arrivals processing area at Beijing airport. Reuters

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  Staff in PPE suits at an Olympics validation desk at the airport.

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  Workers and Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen await arrivals at Beijing airport. AP

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  A member of Team Switzerland goes through security before entering the Olympic Village in Beijing, China. AP

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  A Norwegian athlete goes through security at the Olympic Village. AFP

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  Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, right, visits the Canadian team at the Olympic Village in Beijing. AP

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  A woman outside the fenced-off, closed-loop area for the Olympics takes a picture. AP

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  A Chinese security officer guards an area in the closed-loop bubble in Beijing, which aims to stop the spread of the coronavirus during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. AFP

Between the boycotts, burner phones, spectator-free events and daily Covid-19 tests, the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 are shaping up to be one of the most dystopian Games in history.

As athletes from around the world land at Beijing Capital International Airport, flag-waving throngs of fans have been replaced with workers in full hazmat suits subjecting them to rigorous containment procedures, testing and other Covid-related protocols.

Coaches and athletes cannot wander out for dumplings or roast duck and there is certainly no shopping for souvenirs.

They must remain confined in their quarters in the Olympic Village until they are shuttled to the venue where they will compete.

Two security personnel are seen through fences outside the main media center at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. AP

In between, they are likely to encounter workers spraying disinfectant, someone with a thermometer to check for fever and someone else ready to shove a swab up their nose.

Hotels and venues are surrounded so that athletes may not enter. And same goes for the events – the bubble must not burst.

“It’s Olympics without friends and family, which is the hardest part,” USA Luge slider Emily Sweeney said.

“I was talking with one of the Latvians and saying, ‘We’re going a little crazy in the head because of Covid,’ but we both agreed, it’s just so important right now. I’ll be able to take a breath afterward. It’s a bubble… but the term ‘bubble’ and the fact that we’re always being tested just keeps me on alert.”

US curler Vicky Persinger said she was scared to take off her mask.

“I’ve had the fear ingrained in me for several months now," she told AP. "But everything is so safe here. They’ve done a great job with all the testing."