China News Agency, Beijing, February 20th: Why is the Beijing Winter Olympics a great and precious Olympic Games?
Author Zhang Laiming Deputy Director and Researcher of the Development Research Center of the State Council of China
On February 4, 2022, the Beijing Winter Olympics opened.
This day is the beginning of spring, a traditional Chinese solar term, which means that the cold winter will soon dissipate and all things will usher in recovery.
The convening of the Beijing Winter Olympics has made Beijing the "city of double Olympics", making the beginning of spring this year more meaningful to the Chinese people, and bringing precious enthusiasm, strength and hope to a world facing multiple hardships .
On the evening of February 4, the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games was held at the Beijing National Stadium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Cui Nan
In 2008, when the world was plunged into a financial crisis, China worked with its international partners to eliminate interference and hosted the Summer Olympics in Beijing to demonstrate great solidarity. Afterwards, China worked with major countries to coordinate macroeconomic policies and jointly deal with the dilemma.
14 years later, mankind is faced with more severe challenges and more difficult choices. With the efforts of all parties, the Beijing Winter Olympics opened on time amid the epidemic of the century. 2,892 athletes from 91 countries and regions and more coaches Staff, technicians, medical team members and media reporters participated in this event.
Using sports as a medium, this Winter Olympics demonstrates the realistic possibility and historical value of human beings to overcome differences, enhance unity, and overcome difficulties together.
On the evening of February 4, the opening ceremony of the 24th Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which attracted worldwide attention, was grandly held at the National Stadium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun
This is a Winter Olympics held at a special historical juncture of mankind.
Compared to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, we are now in a time that seems more challenging.
In Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018, the combined women's ice hockey team composed of athletes from North and South Korea participated in the Olympic Games. Whenever the team appeared, the audience would display a "We are family" banner.
In 2022, when freestyle skiers took a leap on the Beijing Shougang Ski Jump, the world is still in the midst of a new crown pneumonia epidemic. So far, more than 400 million people have been infected, and 5.89 million people have lost their lives. The vaccine gap is difficult to achieve. To bridge, there is a lack of consensus on international prevention and control strategies.
At the same time, populism is prevalent, and economic globalization is confronted with adverse currents; the climate change crisis is aggravating, and responsibilities are shared;
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “We are facing a situation like a five-level global fire – the pandemic, global finance, climate action, lawlessness in cyberspace, and peace and security that need to be fully To mobilize the power of all countries can be extinguished.”
This is a Winter Olympics where human beings come together across differences.
The New York Times commented on February 5: "No matter what the context, the Olympic Games have always represented a grand festival of shared humanity and sporting achievements. In a polarized world, it is rare to bring together people from around the world. An occasion where so many people gather." Perhaps it is at this moment that we especially need a successful Winter Olympics, bringing hope to people in the gloom and showing the common pursuit and ideals of mankind.
According to data from the International Olympic Committee, with the support of digital technology, the Beijing Winter Olympics has become the most-watched Winter Olympics in history, and audiences from five continents have truly realized the "end of the world" through TV, computer and mobile phone screens. Time".
"At a time when we are seeing so much populism, racism, and xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred, come here to meet people from all cultures, countries, races, religions," said Secretary-General Guterres. Athletes are together, this is a wonderful message. This is a message of tolerance and mutual respect." This is why we have formed a consensus against using politics to kidnap the Olympic Movement, because any form of so-called boycott will ultimately hurt the Olympic spirit, The International Olympic Movement, and a gathering that marks the common spirit of mankind.
This is a Winter Olympics showcasing the unity of humanity.
Like the Tokyo Olympics which ended 8 months ago, we tried to use a successful Winter Olympics to demonstrate the unity and indomitability of mankind in the face of adversity.
In his speech at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Mr. Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, said: "Fighting rivals can coexist peacefully and respect each other. This is the mission of the Olympic Games, to unite people in peaceful competition." At the Winter Olympics, sports are the only language.
In the freestyle skiing women's aerial skills final, American Caldwell made a mistake in the last jump and missed the medal, but she still hugged the four-time Winter Olympic champion Xu Mengtao of China and told her "I'm so proud of you."
In the mixed doubles round-robin curling competition, the Chinese team players presented the Olympic commemorative badges "Bing Dun Dun" to the players of the US team who had just defeated them, and received warm thanks and gifts from the US athletes.
After winning the gold medal in the men's snowboard platform, China's Su Yiming hugged runner-up Norwegian Mons Reiswellan and third runner-up Canadian Max Parrott to express their respect for their predecessors and thank them for inspiring them all the way. Row.
George Orwell once said, "Sport is equal to war minus shooting", but seeing the athletes wearing the national flag hug each other on the podium of the Beijing Winter Olympics and sincerely congratulate each other, we believe that in In addition to "faster, higher, stronger", "more solidarity" is indeed the proper meaning of the Olympic spirit, and this spirit should also be extended to fight against the epidemic, economic recovery, combating climate change, and resolving regional hotspot issues. field.
This is a Winter Olympics that interprets human civilization.
Mr. Cai Yuanpei once said: "Full personality, the first is in sports." Shahid, President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, said: "The Olympic Games represent the best side of human beings. People gather to compete and be humble. Accept victory gracefully, accept defeat gracefully." From the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD, the best athletes from all Greek city-states gathered at Olympia to compete against the sun under the sun, which led to the birth of the Olympic Truce.
The Olympic Games represent peace and honor, and represent the sportsmanship of self-transcendence, teamwork, fair competition, respect for rules, and respect for opponents. These most essential characteristics of human civilization will also be the foundation for us to continue to move towards a common future.
After the snowboard men's slope obstacle skill final, Su Yiming and his coach thought that the referee had a deviation in scoring, which might have made them miss the gold medal, but they still understood the penalty made within the limited information and time limit, saying that this It is a part of sports competition. I implore the outside world to understand the difficulty of real-time scoring, stop criticizing the referee, and sincerely congratulate the gold medal winner.
On February 15, in the Beijing Winter Olympics snowboard men's big platform final, Su Yiming withstood the pressure and won the gold medal. This is the first time China has won the Winter Olympics gold medal in this event, setting a new record for the best record in the history of the Winter Olympics.
This is a Winter Olympics where the Chinese people express their sincere desire to promote world peace and development and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
President Xi Jinping pointed out that we should keep in mind the original aspirations of the Olympic Movement, adhere to mutual respect, treat each other as equals, conduct dialogue and consultation, strive to resolve differences, eliminate conflicts, and jointly build a world of lasting peace; we should carry forward the spirit of the Olympic Movement and unite to meet the common challenges of the international community. We should practice the purpose of the Olympic Movement, adhere to the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind, promote exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.
During the epidemic, the Chinese government and the Chinese Olympic Committee donated masks to sports organizations and places in Italy, Spain, Iran, the United States, France, Japan and other countries to support the local sports community in fighting the epidemic, showing the close unity and mutual help of the international Olympic family.
Zhang Yimou, the chief director of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, said that the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics is more about showing China to the world, while in 2022, it is more about expounding the common emotions of mankind, which is a shift from "me" to "US".
The changes in the opening ceremony showed the changes in the world outlook of the Chinese people over the past 14 years.
In order to set up a stage for this feast of all mankind, and use the common language of sports to bridge the gap between different countries and ethnic groups, the staff of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee and many volunteers gave up their Spring Festival holiday, and 22 million Beijing citizens And more than 4.1 million Zhangjiakou residents and even all the Chinese people have also made their own contributions.
Many athletes, such as Aaron Bronk and Tessa Maud of the U.S. team, spoke highly of the organization of this Winter Olympics, especially the friendly and enthusiastic volunteers.
Mr. Bach announced at the 139th plenary session of the International Olympic Committee that the Olympic Cup will be awarded to all Chinese people to thank the Chinese people for their outstanding contributions to the Beijing Winter Olympics. , the warmth, energy, hospitality and support given to us by the Chinese people of all ages." At this moment, long live the great Olympic spirit, long live the great unity of the people of the world, and should further become the strong voice of the times for mankind to move into the future.
People say that the epidemic and geopolitical conflicts of the century are big tests, but whether it is a natural disaster such as an infectious disease or a man-made disaster such as a world war, it is not the first time that mankind has faced such a test.
There are thousands of tests, and the test is whether human beings can overcome their own weaknesses and move towards a bright future together.
Our generation, reading the history of past wars and suffering, asks our forefathers why they did not join hands to stop human suffering.
So today, in the face of the common challenges faced by mankind such as epidemics, geopolitical conflicts, and climate change, should we abandon our prejudices and calculations and fight for the common future of mankind, or indulge in temporary relative gains and losses, when other countries are struggling How about sitting on the sidelines or even reaping the benefits?
Our children and grandchildren will use their ink to question our choices today.
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About the Author:
Zhang Laiming, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, member of the Party Leadership Group, has long been engaged in research on politics and law, social construction, and international issues.