The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing were…controversial, to say the least.
Not only was there the glaring issue of how the nation’s communist regime treated the Uyghurs, there was the ban on foreigners from attending the games, the U.S.’ diplomatic boycott , and multiple other undertones that made the games feel different than other events of years past.
Oh, and there was the whole element of hosting the Olympics in the country where the coronavirus originated, a storyline NBC anchor Mike Tirico didn’t sweep under the rug.
In a news segment shortly after the games began, Tirico addressed this element in a monologue covering the event. He did not shy away from the fact that the COVID pandemic started in China (no matter how much the media tries to dismiss or deny that fact), and also discussed the nation’s treatment of the Uyghur population, which he described as a “genocide” (which, of course, it is).
This was a bold move by Tirico and the NBC staff, as the Chinese government does not tolerate anyone who would justifiably criticize its government. This fact was not lost on the anchor, who said that he feared the CCP would find a way to get him removed from the country.
“In being honest, I have to say, I was concerned about if my COVID test was going to come back surprisingly positive all of a sudden after our first night in China, and we made our comments about the treatment of the Uyghurs over there,” he said.
Everyone attending or involved with the games had to be regularly tested for COVID, and a failure of a test would mean a stint in quarantine. Given the extent to which the communist regime goes to silence those who speak against it, Tirico should have feared far more dire punishment.
Tirico did leave the games earlier than anticipated, but it was because of what NBC called a “coordination issue,” which may be true. He was scheduled to host the Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals and had to leave in the middle of his assignment in Beijing sooner than anticipated.
Regardless, after that series of comments, it was probably better he was stateside anyway.
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