The Winter Olympics have enjoyed their fair share of political drama over the years. As the 2022 Games open in Beijing, test your knowledge of these moments in this special Signal quiz. Let us know if you score gold.
1. What did then-US President George W. Bush do at the opening ceremony for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games?
A. Stand alongside Team USA instead of in the VIP box
B. Bet with Vladimir Putin that the US would beat Russia in men’s ice hockey
C. Prepare his State of the Union speech
2. Who carried the unified Korean flag at the Pyeongchang 2018 opening ceremony?
A. North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un & South Korea's President Moon Jae-in
B. Kim's sister Yo Chong and South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook, also a famous singer
C. North Korean hockey player Hwang Chung-gum & South Korean bobsledder Won Yun-jong
3. Many Western governments have joined the US-led official diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Games over China's policies in Xinjiang. Eight years ago, why did some Western leaders also decline to attend Sochi 2014?
A. Russia had invited delegations from the pro-Russian Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Russia defended in its 2008 brief war with Georgia
B. Russia’s anti-LBGT laws
C. They had a vision in a dream that Putin was up to something in Ukraine and would months later annex Crimea
4. Taiwanese speed skater Huang Yu-ting has come under fire for this political gesture.
A. Supporting Taiwan’s independence from China
B. Refusing to compete under the China-approved name “Taipei, China” for Taiwan
C. Wearing (mainland) China’s uniform during practice
5. Which of the following is NOT a Beijing 2022 official mascot?
A. Bing Dwen Dwen, a panda with an ice suit
B. Winnie the Pooh
C. Shuey Rhon Rhon, an anthropomorphic lantern
Answers
1. A — Bush 43 stood alongside Team USA instead of in the VIP box with other world leaders to show national unity just months after 9/11.
2. C — The athletes from the two Koreas wove a white flag with the blue outline of the Korean Peninsula. It was a Disney moment that just weeks later compelled the North Koreans to seek talks with the South.
3. B — Barack Obama, David Cameron, and Angela Merkel all passed on Sochi after the Russian parliament passed a law banning “gay propaganda” that human rights groups say caused a surge in violence against LGBT people.
4. C — Huang said she wore the suit to show friendship with her Chinese rivals. But since China is not showing Taiwan a lot of love these days, back home she’s been panned over the gesture.
5. B — Chinese netizens have long thought Xi Jinping bears an eerie resemblance to the fictional teddy bear in this 2013 photo walking with then-US President Barack Obama. The comparison triggers Xi, so China has since banned Winnie the Pooh online.