WINTER Olympic Games are not usually of interest or relevance to countries like ours where snow is a stranger to tropical sun.
And yet the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, which opened on Friday, feels substantially different.
They represent a key moment for sporting diplomacy amid an incredibly turbulent global political environment. That environment has seen tensions between the US and Russia come to a boil in recent weeks over Ukraine.
The meeting between China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin ahead of Friday's opening ceremony further raised the stakes, with both closing ranks to issue a joint statement against any potential expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This is a matter of concern to Russia which seeks to reduce the influence of the West along its borders as well as the recent alliance between the US, the UK and Australia.
With such backing now in Mr Putin's pocket, the frontlines for any potential military action have been clearly set, with far-reaching global implications. Trinidad and Tobago ought not to believe that its geographical distance from Europe somehow indemnifies it from any potential fallout.
Mr Xi is preparing to meet with dozens of leaders during the games and Beijing and Moscow will hope the event will be a soft-power triumph politically. Ironically, both have criticised the US and others for politicising sports through their diplomatic boycotts of these Winter Games.
In a sign of the fraught environment, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went as far as to directly warn US athletes competing at the games to avoid any form of protest action in support of human rights causes.
'I know there is the temptation on the part of some to speak out while they are there,' Ms Pelosi said on Thursday. 'I respect that. But I also worry about what the Chinese government might do to their reputations, to their families.'
This country was among those that participated in Friday's opening ceremony at the Beijing National Stadium, or "Bird's Nest," with bobsleigh team member Andre Marcano proudly carrying the Red, Black and White flag.
While it has been noted this is the first time in 20 years TT will be represented in bobsleigh at the games, there has been relatively little discussion of this country's diplomatic position - whether as an individual nation or part of Caricom - in relation to the issues surrounding China. Lest there be any doubt, both China and the US are important political and trading partners of this country.
Another reason why all eyes should be on the games is the fact that it comes amid efforts to move out of the shadow of covid19. Unlike the Tokyo Olympics staged last year, there were strictly controlled and curated crowds at Friday's opening ceremony.
China's health measures are among the strictest in the world and how these games pan out will have implications for not only future Olympics, but also sporting events and gatherings all over the world.
The post Let the games begin appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
