On the evening of October 28, 2021, the National Stadium, the National Speed Skating Hall, the National Aquatics Center, and the iconic venues of Beijing, the "City of The Two Olympics", were collectively lit up for the first time. China News Service reporter Han Haidan photographed
BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The 24th Winter Olympic Games will kick off in Beijing on February 4, a month after the countdown. This "city of the two Olympic Games" from summer to winter is about to create a new milestone in the history of the 100-year Olympic Games.
With the good wish of "going to the future together", the world is looking forward to an Olympic event that can leave good memories. Before it officially sets sail, there is still a story to be told.
Highlight 1: The Chinese delegation was established
In the Beijing Winter Olympic cycle, "expanding the area, fixing the point, refining the troops, and sprinting" is the preparation strategy of the Chinese legion. Step by step, after spending more than 1,400 days and nights in training, the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics by Chinese ice and snow athletes have finally entered the final stage.
On January 18, 2020, local time, Lausanne, Switzerland, the 2020 WinterGreen Olympics freestyle ski slope obstacle course skills, Gu Ailing picked silver. Image source: ICphoto
According to the practice of previous sessions, the list of Chinese sports delegations for the Beijing Winter Olympics will be officially announced to the public about ten days before the opening of the event.
Although the final list has not yet been determined, a number of famous athletes have been confirmed to qualify for the Beijing Winter Olympics, including short track speed skaters Wu Dajing and Ren Ziwei, speed skaters Ning Zhongyan and Gao Tingyu, and figure skaters Sui Wenjing, Han Cong, Peng Cheng, Jin Yang, Wang Shiyue, Liu Xinyue and so on. If there is no accident, Gu Ailing, Xu Mengtao, Geng Wenqiang and other people who have performed outstanding this season will not be shortlisted.
Looking back on the road of preparation, China's ice and snow sports performance has made leaps and bounds.
At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Chinese ice and snow athletes participated in a total of 53 sub-events, accounting for about half of the total number of projects, which was the largest number of chinese sports delegations in previous Winter Olympics. At this Winter Olympics, the Chinese Legion will once again refresh its own record for the number of projects participating, which is beyond doubt.
As of the end of last year, Chinese ice and snow athletes had won the winter Olympic games qualification in real time in 7 major events, 15 sub-events and 93 small events, with a total of 172 seats, and the number of participants is expected to reach 161. As tournament-related qualifiers are expected to continue until the middle of this month, the above numbers are likely to continue to increase.
Highlight 2: Beijing Winter Olympic Village Kaicun
As the 2022 New Year bell rings, the Beijing Winter Olympics "Meet in Beijing" series of test activities have been successfully concluded. The positive feedback from Chinese and foreign athletes, the International Olympic Committee and international winter sports organizations on the test activities proves that the Beijing Winter Olympic Games has made preparations in terms of venue facilities, venue operations, and event organization.
On December 21, 2021, the zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Village (Winter Paralympic Village) full element test officially began. The picture shows the college students taking the test taking a selfie souvenir. Photo by Zhai Yujia, a reporter from China News Service
At the same time, the Beijing Winter Olympic Village also comprehensively benchmarked the time environment of the competition, and carried out operational tests based on the principle of "can be measured and measured". The successful results have laid a solid foundation for the successful holding of this ice and snow event. According to the plan, the Beijing Winter Olympic Village will officially open on January 27 to welcome athletes from all over the world.
Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou have independent Olympic villages, each with its own characteristics. In the construction process, the concept of health runs through the whole process, and strives to make athletes live at ease, at ease and comfortably.
As the "home" of the world's top ice and snow athletes during the Beijing Winter Olympics, the staff of the three major competition areas made full preparations around the food, clothing, housing and transportation in the Winter Olympic Village. From the "Winter Olympic Menu" that offers specialties from all over the world, you can feel the hospitality and enthusiasm of China as the host.
Data map: Inside the Beijing Winter Olympic Village, China News Agency reporter Tomita photographed
This special menu consists of 678 dishes, including world cuisine. The Winter Olympic Villages in the three major competition areas will use the same menu recipe, select about 200 dishes per day for athletes from all over the world to eat, and rotate the menu in an 8-day cycle to meet the needs of athletes from different countries, different regions, different nationalities and different eating habits.
Highlight 3: The Winter Olympics meet the Chinese Year
On February 1, the first day of the Lunar New Year, this is the most grand traditional festival of the Chinese nation - the Spring Festival. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics is scheduled for February 4, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. According to the schedule, the relevant events will start on February 2.
This feast of ice and snow belonging to the whole world will be a perfect encounter with the Chinese New Year.
Winter Olympic poster "Traditional Chinese Year, Legendary Winter Olympic Dream". Source: Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee
In fact, as early as the bid for the Winter Olympics, the Spring Festival was added to the bid statement as a special link and element, and highlighted the integration of the Winter Olympics and the Spring Festival. This not only attracted the attention of the International Olympic Committee, but also another opportunity to show the world traditional Chinese culture.
The Beijing Winter Olympics contain many elements of traditional Chinese culture. Huge to the construction of the venue, as fine as the medal design, every link in the process is integrated into the Chinese cultural conception, carrying the connotation of Chinese culture, showing the charm of Chinese culture, highlighting the self-confidence of Chinese culture.
Traditional Chinese festival culture and New Year culture are also one of them. The Winter Olympics and the Spring Festival meet, and China's "New Year's Taste" will give this ice and snow event a richer connotation. When the Spring Festival, lantern riddles, and lanterns appear in the broadcast camera, and when the special food is served on the athletes' table, the Beijing Winter Olympics will surely become an excellent platform to show traditional Chinese culture.
On February 9, 2018, the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was held at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium in South Korea, and delegations attended. The picture shows the Chinese delegation entering, and the flag bearer is Zhou Yang, a short track speed skater.
Highlight 4: The flag bearer of the Opening Ceremony of China
In February 1980, the 13th Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid in the United States, and China sent teams to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time.
From Zhao Weichang at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics to Zhou Yang at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, 11 people have served as the flag bearers of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics of the Chinese sports delegation, including Zhao Hongbo, Yang Yang, Han Xiaopeng, Zhou Yang and other Olympic champions.
The flag bearer of the opening ceremony not only symbolizes great honor, but also one of the most topical suspense of the Olympic Games. According to past practice, the candidates for the flag bearer of the Chinese delegation will be announced a few days before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games.
On the morning of October 20, 2021, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Tinder arrived in Beijing, and the Welcome Ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics Tinder was held at the Olympic Tower. China News Service reporter Han Haidan photographed
Highlight 5: Three division torch relays
In October last year, the spark of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics arrived in Beijing, and the roaring sacred flame carrying the Olympic spirit was revisited. In the coming days, Tinder will be displayed in several cities in Heilongjiang Province for the general public.
The Beijing Winter Olympic Torch Relay is scheduled to take place from February 2 to 4 in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, and is expected to involve about 1,200 torchbearers.
In view of the epidemic, this torch relay follows the principle of "simple, safe and wonderful". The torch relay will spend 3 days to display the ice and snow resources, ice and snow sports, ice and snow culture and shuang'ao heritage of the three major competition areas, and present the natural, historical, cultural characteristics and modern scenery along the way, and use the Totem elements of the Chinese nation such as the Great Wall as the carrier to show the unique charm of Beijing as the "city of the double Olympics" and the rapid changes in Zhangjiakou area.
Of the approximately 1,200 torchbearers, the most talked about is undoubtedly the last stick. Who, in what way, will light the main torch tower in the "Bird's Nest"? Suspense is left to be answered at the opening ceremony. (End)