The Olympic flame was ceremoniously lit during the opening ceremony on February 4, but American photographer Rob Schumacher photographed a giant snowflake placed at the Bird’s Nest stadium on Sunday. The Chinese organizers are defending: The flame is fine, just maybe it was not visible due to heavy snowfall.
A rare snowstorm in Beijing on Sunday finally brought a winter atmosphere to the venue of the Winter Olympics. But she also apparently put out the Olympic flame in Bird’s Nest. At least that’s what journalists from USA Today say.
When photographer Rob Schumacher took a picture of a giant snowflake at the Bird’s Nest Stadium on Sunday afternoon, there is no sign of the Olympic flame. The fire traditionally stays lit throughout the games.
Based on the incriminated photograph, the International Olympic Committee has already raised an official question with the Beijing Organizing Committee in 2022. However, the Chinese side denied everything and stated that the fire was burning without complications.
“Our Bird’s Nest team said the flame was fine,” a Beijing spokesman wrote in an e-mail in 2022. “Maybe it’s a snowfall that has affected visibility.”
