The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, have suffered much-warranted scrutiny. However, one American snowboarder praised China for her experience, saying she was “so sad” to be leaving the communist nation.
Tessa Maud, who departed back to her home in California on Saturday, posted a video that went viral on Weibo (the only social-media platform Chinese citizens are allowed to use) that praised China and the IOC for their accommodations and living situation for athletes.
American snowboarder Tessa Maud, who was moved to tears by Chinese volunteers, wept again. On Feb 12, she shared her last day in China on social platforms. Tessa said "I'm so sad", after a few seconds of silence, "I'm going to cry on the plane, I'm going to choke, love you.” pic.twitter.com/FeWsQnhlPo
— China Economy (@CE_ChinaEconomy) February 13, 2022
Naturally, Chinese media pounced on the American-produced, pro-China propaganda.
“Some Chinese media commented that although she did not claim any medal, she is indeed one of the favorite foreign athletes, as some Chinese netizens said,” according to China’s state-run Global Times. “From day one, Maud used her vlogs to document her life in Beijing, especially her favorite Chinese food. Maud and her teammates also used chopsticks when eating Chinese food such as Kung Pao chicken, roasted duck, and fried rice. ‘Everything is so good,’ Maud said in one of her videos."
According to Breitbart.com, on Sina-Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) the hashtag, “she didn’t win a medal but succeeded to win the love of Chinese citizens” (which is absurdly long for a hashtag) had been viewed over 100 million times.
Maud’s videos appear to be tone-deaf and contrary to the narrative supported by a large contingent of athletes from various nations on what is really happening in the Olympic village.
Related: Costas Blasts 'Shameless' IOC For Allowing China To Host Winter Olympics
Multiple athletes and coaches have blasted China and the IOC for the horrendous food situation that has left countless athletes suffering from weight loss and exhaustion as a result.
German alpine skiing coach Christian Schwaiger said that the only things provided in catering were chips, nuts, and chocolate – options that would not sustain a 5-year-old for even a few hours.
“I’d have expected that the Olympic Committee would be capable of providing hot meals,” Schwaiger said. “There are no hot meals …This shows a lack of focus on high-performance sport.”
Furthermore, athletes who test positive have been treated no better than citizens under house arrest by event security. Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans posted a heartbreaking account on Instagram of how her situation was forcing her to consider if continuing to play is worth it (she was then allowed out of isolation and competed in her event).
While it is unlikely that any athlete would lie about how they are being treated, it is odd that one athlete claims everything is normal, while multiple people claim otherwise. Furthermore, even though it is unclear what motivated Maud to post her videos or why she had a polar opposite experience from most of the other Olympic athletes, at the very least it is disappointing that an American would shamelessly support one of its sworn enemies.