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Beijing is About to Write History
China Minutes
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Beijing is About to Write History

On 4 February 2022, the 24th Winter Olympic Games will open in Beijing. By hosting this Winter Olympics, Beijing will write history by becoming the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics!

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, said: "Our focus is now on the Beijing Winter Olympics. We are looking forward to a successful Beijing Winter Olympics and, based on our experience, we are confident that we can deliver a safe Winter Olympics for everyone. This Winter Olympics will usher in a new era for winter sports worldwide, with 300 million Chinese becoming familiar with winter sports."

Thirteen years ago, the success of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games left a lasting impression on audiences, athletes, and the Olympic family around the world. It was the third time the modern Olympic Games landed in Asia, the first time they were held in a developing country and the first time they were held in one of the world's four ancient civilisations. There were 204 participating countries and territories, 11,438 athletes, 302 events (28 sports) and the largest number of female athletes in history. 87 delegations won medals, a record number of medal-winning delegations in history. Afghanistan, Mauritius, Tajikistan, and Togo won medals for the first time in Olympic history, Bahrain, Mongolia, and Panama won gold for the first time in Olympic history, and India won gold in individual events for the first time in history. The largest number of delegations in history achieved their goals on the field at the Beijing Olympic Games, and they returned with satisfaction and rewards. 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing saw China demonstrate to the world its national strength and national grace in hosting the world's largest and most vivid sporting feast.

In 2015, Beijing successfully bid to host the 24th Winter Olympics. After seven years of preparation, China is now inviting the world with openness and confidence, and athletes from all over the world are ready to take part in this long-awaited feast of ice and snow. Nicolae Juravschi, President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Moldova, said that the Beijing Winter Olympics was another event of the international Olympic movement. "China's preparations for the Games and the previous phase of international test events have been very impressive and have filled us with expectations for the Games." Christophe de Kepper, Director in charge of IOC, said he was "confident that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be an unforgettable occasion that will bring the world together in a spirit of peace, solidarity, and friendship." Bernhard Russis, Swiss Olympic champion in Alpine skiing and one of the designers of the Beijing Winter Olympics venue, said that more and more Swiss were now learning about China and looking forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics. He also said that the Chinese were "one of the best organisers of major events in terms of preparation and attention to detail" that he had ever seen, and he was confident that the Beijing Winter Olympics would be a success. The Olympic Review, the official quarterly magazine of the International Olympic Committee, published a special Chinese issue last December with a cover story focusing on the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, saying that Beijing was ready to start a new era of the Winter Olympics. The article said that the Beijing Winter Olympics would be star-studded, with some 2,900 athletes representing more than 90 national (regional) Olympic committees coming together to compete in seven major events and 15 sub-events; it would also be the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics ever, with more female athletes than in previous years - 45.4% of the total number of participants, up from 41% in 2018, and a record number of 46 women's sub-events.

If the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games have helped China integrate better into the world, then the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will help China go global. As the biggest stage and cultural event for the exchange and mutual appreciation of world civilisations, the Olympic Games, with their rich connotations and rules of practice, are becoming more and more important to the human way of life. The Chinese Spring Festival, the most traditional festival of Chinese civilisation, will meet the Olympic civilisation at the Beijing Winter Olympics, which is the second handshake between the historic Olympics and the long-standing Chinese civilisation, and a majestic meeting of the diversity of cultures from around the world and Chinese culture. The fusion and mutual appreciation of the two great cultures of the world will bring an unusual, fun-filled, and novel experience of the fusion of Eastern and Western civilisations to the Winter Olympics. Winter sports athletes from all over the world will compete in the competition venues with great Chinese cultural charm, such as the "Ice Ribbon", "Snow Ruyi", "Snow Dragon", and "Shougang Ski Jumping Platform", and will provide people worldwide with an audio-visual feast, showing the beauty of sporting excellence and national elegance. The Beijing Winter Olympics will also become a bridge that crosses ideologies, merges world civilisations, and connects the minds of human beings, leading to a better future for all countries in the world.

We will build a dream with one mind and cooperate for this great event. When the five-ring flag flies at the foot of the Great Wall, the story of snow and ice belonging to China and the Olympic Games will write a new and exciting page.

 

China MinutesDarcy Littler

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