Athletes make best of it inside Olympic bubble

Life inside the Beijing 2022 Olympic Village has grabbed attention on social media, as Olympians have shared loads of vlogs featuring the entertainment and supporting facilities, food service, remote-controlled beds and the trending pin trading.

To prevent the transmission of COVID-19, athletes are kept inside the "bubble," leaving them a limited number of options for passing time outside of their competitions. However, some athletes have managed to find novel ways to have fun when they're not practicing and competing.

Julia Marino, who just won the silver medal in women's snowboard slopestyle, told NBC that she and her friends spend their downtime listening to music, dancing and singing along to songs.

"That's been super fun. We've been having some nice little music sessions in the sunlight before it goes down," said the American.

Getting a haircut, playing table tennis and visiting the gym are three things to do in the village for Swedish freestyle skier Walter Wallberg. Free hairdressing, facial beauty and manicure services are provided at the village's hair salon, according to China.org.cn.

German snowboarder Leon Vockensperger shared a video on TikTok showing him and his teammates playing virtual-reality games in the village. Turkish ski jumper Fatih Arda Ipcioglu is also intrigued by the entertainment facilities, calling it "fun zone."

"It's a place where the athletes go and play with the high-tech toys, have a roller-coaster experience, diving and going to space by wearing VR glasses," he told Xinhua news agency.

While athletes slept on cardboard beds at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, China has stepped up its game with adjustable, remote-controlled beds.

American luger Summer Britcher posted a TikTok clip on January 27 showing how the beds function, which has so far received more than 63,000 likes. Britcher said one of its features is called "zero-G mode" and "it's phenomenal."

Food

The cafeteria in the village is one of the "cool things" Olympians commonly share on social media. Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam gave a tour around the dining hall in her vlog, showing her ordering a Chinese specialty called "malatang" (meat and vegetables in spicy hot soup).

Norwegian biathlon participant Filip Fjeld Anderson also shared a clip of him dining in the cafeteria, saying he'll be "probably leaving this place 5 kilograms heavier."

American Marino's favorite food is dumplings. "I've probably had like 200 dumplings since I've been here," she told NBC.

A total of 678 Chinese and Western dishes are on offer for free in the village, China Daily reported. Local specialties are included, such as Beijing roast duck, stir-fried sliced lamb with scallions and moo shu pork.

Fast food chain outlets such as KFC are also in the village, providing dine-in and takeaway services.

Robotic bartenders and waiters are available in the village to serve food in order to minimize human contact. A Reuters video shows robots making food at the main media center.

An "Inside Edition" video features food electronically served from the ceiling with plates lowered by pink robotic hands.

Pin trading

If there's one thing most Olympians in Beijing are all in on, it's pin trading.

"Basically, you get a whole bunch of pins, you trade them with athletes from other nations and try to collect the coolest pins," Canadian freestyle skier Elena Gaskell said while displaying her collection in one of her recent TikTok clips.

Jonny Gustafson and Sean Hollander from the United States are also pin-collecting aficionados and showcased their collections in a short video. Hollander's personal favorites include a pin from the Netherlands in the form of a pair of clogs.

"Pretty much everything with Bing Dwen Dwen (the Olympic mascot) on it ups its value," said Hollander.

Pin trading goes beyond simply collecting, as it's considered a gesture of friendship.

Chinese curlers Fan Suyuan and Ling Zhi gave a set of eight pins featuring Bing Dwen Dwen to their American rivals, Christopher Plys and Vicky Persinger, after losing to the duo 5-7 in the mixed doubles preliminaries.

The Americans later posted the pins on social media, hailing it "a wonderful display of sportsmanship by our Chinese counterparts."

"They're just beautiful, something super unique. These will be on my desk for a very, very long time," Plys said.

"I'm definitely going to have to give them something now. They've upped their game big time. We'll find something special to give them to hold onto," Plys said, according to a Reuters report.

"I've never felt any animosity toward us or our country, and we try to show them the same respect. At the end of the day, we all bleed the same blood and play the same game. It's fun to experience each other's cultures and show them it's all love," he added.