BEIJING (AP) — A sustained, heavy snowfall delighted — and disrupted — the Winter Olympics on Sunday.
Fat flakes fell at all three locations that are hosting the Beijing Games. It wouldn’t normally be that novel to see snow at the Winter Olympics, but China’s capital city and the mountain venues get precious little of the stuff usually, making these the first Winter Games to rely almost entirely on artificial snow.
Some events had to be delayed or postponed because of the snowfall, which made visibility poor.
But those unaccustomed to the fairytale flakes reveled in the scene. Games workers dressed in head-to-toe hazmat suits rolled around in the snow that blanketed Beijing. Even the ever-present Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen got in on the action. Someone built a “snowman” to resemble the chubby panda, who is normally depicted encased in ice.
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