Beijing's Deja Vu

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong makes the successful pitch for Beijing

Here we go again -- Beijing has been awarded the rights to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

It was a pretty lopsided race to start with, though the Chinese capital was considered a weak contender in the beginning.

Originally Oslo and Stockholm were the the frontrunners, but each fell out probably due to the fact that their respective residents didn't want to foot the massive bill.

Then it came down to Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Pro-Tibet demonstrators present a dramatic protest

There were concerns Beijing would have no snow, and the usual human rights abuses -- which made me realize this was why dissident artist Ai Weiwei was given back his passport about a week ago. He's now in Germany visiting his son.

While Almaty has tons of natural snow, it didn't have the experience of holding the Games like Beijing did in 2008 (the 7th anniversary is coming up), and its own human rights issues.

Beijing promises it will snow -- dammit we will make it snow! -- by hosting the alpine events in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou (60km and 140km away respectively) from the Chinese capital.

The Chinese delegation also brought out its star power -- Yao Ming and Li Na -- interesting that the retired tennis superstar would be willing to show up, but maybe because she's a mother now, pitching for Beijing gets her some brownie points.

Now there's another reason to use the practically neglected Bird's Nest and other Olympic venues, though Beijing will surely build a few more -- ahead of schedule -- to show that it can.

Now the Chinese government can boast in its promotional literature that it is the first city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter games. It's an easy way for China to hint, Any host city in the United States ever attempted that feat?

Residents in Zhangjiakou hold a sign saying, "We did it!"

Beijing is doing its happy dance now and will do so for the next few days, though the euphoria won't last long. Memories will flood back of hutongs being demolished for Olympic venues and how the city was in lock down mode, where residents couldn't move around freely while the Games were on.

One thinks Beijing's promise of having snow -- some form of it -- on the mountains seems like a huge one that may not be fulfilled, though now that all eyes are on Beijing again, it will have to be on its best behaviour from today until 2022.

Over lunch over a week ago, a hotel executive and I were talking about Vancouver and how he went there to watch the Winter Games.

But he suggested that perhaps to help the ailing Greek economy that it would be best to hold the Summer Games every four years in Athens from now on, where it was originally held thousands of years ago.

He felt cities were needlessly going into debt holding these events, spending money to build Olympic venues that are collecting dust.

What about the Winter Games, I asked? Have them in Vancouver?

He agreed, or to do without them altogether -- after all the Olympics didn't have winter events!

Food for thought...

Li Na's Story Plays Out on Screen

Li Na holding the trophy after winning the 2014 Australian Open

Tennis star Li Na has retired and is expecting her first child later this year. But the tennis player who was the first Asian to win a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open in 2011 and did it again at the 2014 Australian Open, is going to have her career played out on the big screen.

Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-Sun Chan will make a biopic of Li and she will act as consultant on Li Na: My Life, based on her autobiography.

Tang Wei is a possible contender for the role of Li...

Her story is compelling because she went through the state-sponsored system, got frustrated and broke through to have her own say in her training and managed to prove to not only China but the world she could win on her own terms.

The relationship between her and her husband is also intriguing, as he helped her build her career and upended the typical male-female dynamic, particularly in Chinese culture.

"The story between her and her husband is very atypical, in fact a lot of things with Li Na are very atypical for Chinese people. It shows a very different side of contemporary China," Chan said.

"She broke the rules and defied conventions and, against all odds, became a legend. I'm mesmerized by what she has been able to accomplish and what she represents as a symbol of hope for millions of people around the world," the director added.

... and so is Fan Bingbing...

"I had to make a lot of sacrifices in my life in order to become the best tennis player I could be and the film project makes it all worth it. Hopefully, the film will be able to inspire others to believe in themselves and follow their dreams," Li said.

Filming will start this fall with a release date in 2016. Chan is looking at either having an actress play Li or get a tennis player to play her. Some names already mentioned include Li Bingbing, Fan Binging, Tang Wei, Vicky Zhao Wei and Hong Kong actress Isabella Leong Lok-sze.

If one of those actresses are chosen, they will have to ditch the salad lunches and reall start to gain those muscles in the arms and legs otherwise who will believe she is Li Na?

Li Na Conquers Australia

Li Na raises her arms in victory after winning her second Grand Slam title

Li Na has proven she is not just a one-hit wonder.

The 31-year-old won the Australian Open defeating Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 tonight in Melbourne. It was the second Grand Slam the Chinese tennis player won after the French Open in 2011.

She attributes the win to her confidence, largely thanks to the psychological pep talks she has with coach Carlos Rodriguez since she started working with him in 2012.

Li's win also proves that the Chinese state system doesn't work for everyone. In 2008 she split from the Chinese Tennis Federation that previously ran her career and took a 65 percent cut from her earnings, according to CNN.

She now chooses who she wants to work with and also takes all the winnings and sponsorships -- which has made her a rich woman, as she acknowledged in her victory speech, by first thanking her agent Max Eisenbud, who she shares with Maria Sharapova.

Then she thanked her husband for being her hitting partner, mixing drinks and giving up his tennis career to be with her. "Thanks a lot, you are a nice guy. Also you are so lucky," she said in front of the audience.

He was in the stands laughing and clapping with delight. It's not the first time she's ribbed him publicly which is great, but also shows he's a progressive Chinese man as most mainland men wouldn't stand being ridiculed -- even if jokingly -- by their wife. Then again when she pulls in millions of dollars in sponsorships and wins, who cares?

In any event her speech was endearing to her fans, and she knows what to say, like thanking the sponsors for putting on the event.

She is definitely a fantastic role model for aspiring Chinese athletes because she demonstrates that sports isn't just about winning, it's about having fun and enjoying yourself on the court.

While the clock is ticking for her to chase after two more Grand Slams, Li shows that she's got a lot of determination to win and win big.