Winter Olympics on TikTok: who to follow for a behind-the-scenes look at the Beijing Games


Evelyn Lau
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The Winter Olympics is now under way in Beijing. Just as with the Tokyo Summer Games last year, it's been a muted affair as restrictions have been put in place on crowd attendance, with organisers deciding in January not to sell tickets to events to limit the spread of Covid-19.

See photos of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony above.

A "closed loop" has also been created to separate competitors and staff from the public throughout the event.

Thankfully, social media exists, and for those who can't get enough of the Olympics, there's always TikTok. A number of Olympians have taken to using the platform to offer their perspective on everything that's happening in Beijing. Here are the ones to follow ...

Tessa Maud (Team USA, Snowboarding)

The athlete is documenting her first Olympics on TikTok. So far, she’s shared her journey of getting there, including chronicling the flights, airports, buses and everything in between.

Since arriving in Beijing, she’s shared her review of the smart beds in the Olympic Village, clips of the Olympic swag (which includes a Team USA capsule collection with Kim Kardashian’s Skims shapewear) and made videos on the food she's eaten.

Maddie Mastro (Team USA, Snowboarding)

Another American asharing her experience is Maud's snowboarding teammate Maddie Mastro, who is at her second Winter Olympics. She shared clips from the opening ceremony and her parade with Team USA, as well a video showing what a convenience store inside the Olympic Village looks like.

Shaun White (Team USA, Snowboarding)

The famous snowboarder is at his fifth and final Winter Games, and announced he plans to retire after the Olympics. On his TikTok, Shaun White not only shares his personal insights but answers fans' questions about his experience.

In one video, a fan asks “what do you trade at the Olympics?” to which White responds by showing off a very cool blue Olympics lanyard filled with pins of other countries.

Sarah Nurse (Team Canada, Women’s Ice Hockey)

The two-time Olympian is a forward in the Canadian women's ice hockey team. In addition to posting videos with her teammates trying the latest dance trends, she’s also shown off the Olympic swag that Team Canada has received, including a duffel bag with winter accessories and sweatpants, leggings and jackets for the occasion.

Jenise Spiteri (Team Malta, Snowboarding)

With her bright pink and blue hair, Jenise Spiteri is hard to miss. She is the sole representative for Malta at the Games, where she will compete in snowboarding and was the flag bearer for the country in the opening ceremony.

She has shared videos of the opening ceremony as well as the free KFC and Pizza Hut food, and Olympics Samsung phones, that athletes have received. One of her more memorable TikToks shows just how cold it is in China, with Spiteri saying she walked outside with wet hair and it has now frozen.

Anna Fairman and Anna Segedi (Team China, Women’s Ice Hockey)

Anna Fairman and Anna Segedi are two hockey players on Team China who call themselves "Anna x 2" on TikTok. The two teammates are also roommates and post comedic Olympic content with current TikTok trends but have also shared a behind-the-scenes look of the Beijing Games, including their room in the Olympic Village.

Caroline Claire (Team USA, Skiing)

The freestyle skier is a two-time Olympian that competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Games. In one of her most-viewed videos, she gives an inside look at Team USA’s departure to Beijing. Set to motivational background music, it shows the athletes walking on a red carpet and being cheered on by Delta Air Lines staff members as they board their flights to the Winter Olympics.

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

TOUCH RULES

Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.

Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.

Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.

A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.

After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.

At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.

A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.

Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
​​​​​​​Bloomsbury Academic

About RuPay

A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank

RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards

It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.

In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments

The name blends two words rupee and payment

Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The schedule

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

Updated: February 08, 2022, 1:23 PM`