After more than two weeks of a sporting spectacle that made Beijing the focus of world attention, the curtain fell on the 2022 Winter Olympics. Little went wrong for the Beijing organizers, who had calmly handled a plethora of challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and athletes have given their meticulous work effusive praise.

"I am grateful for the love and support from everyone in the past two weeks," gushed American snowboarder Tessa Maud. "I felt so loved and welcomed upon our arrival to China, and I can't wait to get back and travel around in the future. I love the people, food and culture so much."

This sentiment was echoed by Maud's compatriot Aaron Blunck. "They (organizers) have honestly done a stellar job with the whole COVID-19 protocol," said the 25-year-old freestyle skiing star, who had won gold medals at the World Championships and the Winter X Games.

"I didn't really know what to expect being State-side. You heard some pretty bad media and that is completely false," the three-time Olympian observed. "Everybody from staff to COVID testers to accommodation, it's probably honestly one of the better Olympics I've ever been to. So that's really cool."

Blunck's teammate Alex Ferreira expressed similar viewpoints, adding, "I just think all the people and the staff within the Olympic Village are so genuine and kind, they're such a happy community … it's just refreshing and it's nice to see."

Maltese snowboarder Jenise Spiteri, meanwhile, has fallen in love with the Chinese cuisine that the Village has offered. The 29-year-old was caught on camera pulling a red bean bun out of her pocket and popping it into her mouth during the halfpipe event.

"I started eating them on the first day. And then for breakfast, lunch and dinner," she said. "You know the little sesame balls... deep-fried, rolled with sesame seeds, chewy with red beans inside. I want to eat a hundred of those."

Italian speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida said, "The pizza is good and I even want to know how the chef cooked it." Norwegian biathlete Filip Fjeld Andersen chuckled, "All the food and drink is free! Probably I'm leaving this place 5kg heavier."

The world-class venues at Beijing 2022 have also earned rave reviews. "I was amazed at the training facility; the course was impeccable. It was basically a dream course to ski..." said Australian mogul skier Britt Cox after finishing her race at the Genting Snow Park. "I think it's a massive credit to the Chinese and the Beijing organizing committee for creating such an awesome course."

The view was supported by Norwegian ski jumper Robert Johansson. "The hill is amazing. I can't really imagine how many hours it has taken to put this into place," he opined. "I have to say I feel really lucky to be able to come here and experience this."

Japanese speed skater Miho Takagi, who pocketed one gold and three silver medals in the National Speed Skating Oval, was equally pleased. "It's one of the best speed skating rinks in the world, and finally I can get a good result here to stand on the podium, I am very happy," she said.