Winter Olympic Games 2022. Curling.
All the stones that were supposed to be thrown in the 2022 Winter Olympics curling competition are history, so here's a little look back. The Olympic All Stars Team in the men's category is almost entirely made up of Scottish/British players - Hammy McMillan, Grant Hardie and Bruce Mouat, with the brilliantly playing Chinese duo of Wang Zhyiu wedged in between. However, the only two "100s" (the highest possible rating for a flawless performance) that the statisticians have come to are Sweden's Edin and Russia's Kalalba. In the women's category, it's a slightly bigger mix. Two Japanese, a Swiss and a Brit. Seven of the nine medals belong to Europe. One goes to Japan and one to Canada. In all categories, the Swedes are on the podium. There were great shots, brilliant tactics, intense throwing at the physical limit. Moments of disappointment, frustration and also happiness, joy and satisfaction. Thanks to the TV broadcasts, the audience could watch even the most hidden emotions of the curlers and listen to their communication and thus understand the magical moments curling brings. Always, once every four years, the Olympic tournament, thanks to its publicity, means a significant upsurge of interest in curling, increasing its prestige and improving its position among sports.
rnWhat else did the Olympic curling tournament bring, and what did it take away? It should certainly be noted that the conditions and atmosphere were visibly different than ever before. The unresolved and somewhat opaque situation surrounding Covid-19 and the fact that the Olympics, and after it the Paralympics, are being held in totalitarian Communist China are circumstances that should be included in any evaluation report. Catharsis and a change of narrative are necessary, desirable and indispensable to the whole concept of a sporting Games on a mammoth scale. Curling, as always, has lived up to its role as one of the two winter team sports (alongside hockey), with honour and has captured the attention of the broadest sporting public. For the Czech viewer, however, the picture was incomplete, mainly due to the virtually zero possibility to work with graphics and statistical data during the broadcasts, and also due to the ignoring of the men's and women's categories, except for the two final matches. The arguments justifying this state of affairs are understandable and comprehensible for those who understand the circumstances, but are indifferent to the ordinary viewer. He would simply like to see more curling.
rnA new four-year cycle begins that will take successful national teams to Turin or Cortina d'Ampezzo and maybe even Pinerollo, where one Olympic tournament has already been held in 2006. Hopefully the four-year preparation period will not be distorted by a world pandemic or a world war. Good luck to all and
rn"Look forward to curling."
rnphoto: Nicklas Edin - gold on his fourth attempt.