It’s a strange time in Beijing right now, with mandatory testing and food flying off the shelves at supermarkets. Sports take a back seat, as Mark and Haig brace for a possible lockdown (0:52). Will the Asian Games in Hangzhou — scheduled for September this year — be postponed (6:02)? What kind of spectacle could we expect – bubble or not (8:21)? Haig talks about Shannon Bufton, a competitive cyclist turned Beijing bike maker and route planner (9:20).
We catch up again with Cameron Wilson, who — one month later — is still in lockdown (15:00). He shares his lows of the past month, plus the occasional high (17:53), but at least the food situation has improved with the arrival of an army of delivery drivers (19:24). China’s case-counting headscratcher — and the new definition of cases “in society” — has once again muddied the situation (20:02). It’s a little like Lord of the Flies in Cammy’s compound, with four recent cases, despite weeks of being locked at home (21:26). Cammy hits his stride here, arguing that this outbreak was entirely predictable, and asks why on earth more people haven’t been vaccinated (23:00). He’s been in Shanghai for more than 16 years: Has he reached his limit (24:58)?
In a seamless transition to football, former Manchester United and Belgium player Marouane Fellaini has returned to China ahead of the start of the CSL season (27:43), which will expand from 16 to 18 teams this year, despite the widespread financial insecurity (29:07). Could a small Shandong city host this year’s league in a bubble (29:28)? And is the 2023 Asian Cup, set for China next June, in doubt (31:12)? When is — or should be — the cutoff date for making a decision on whether or not to hold it here (32:42)? Finally, Cameron leaves us with a story about banging pots and yelling out of the window (34:00).
