Olympic Referees’ Decisions Benefiting China, Beijing’s COVID Rules Spark Backlash

Lindsey Jacobellis of Team United States (R) and Michela Moioli of Team Italy (L) cross the finish line during the Snowboard Mixed Team Cross Big Final on Day 8 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Genting Snow Park, in Zhangjiakou, China, on Feb. 12, 2022. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

More than a week into the Beijing Winter Olympics, which opened on Feb. 4, a range of controversies from referees’ decisions to China’s harsh COVID controls have drawn complaints from competitors and international observers.

Amid a diplomatic boycott of the Games by Western countries, led by the United States over Beijing’s human rights abuses, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics hit a record low in ratings, with only 16 million viewers watching the live broadcast on NBC in the United States, down 43 percent from 28.3 million for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.