【Guangming International Forum Dialogue】
George Hessler, a senior international communication strategist in the United States, has provided bidding planning solutions for many Olympic bidding cities; an authoritative expert on the father of the Olympic Games, Coubertin, has authored monographs such as "The Idealist" and "Coubertin's Sayings"
Secretary General of the International Exchange Cooperation and Communication Center of Xiao Lianbing Guangming Daily
On October 18, 2021, the flame of the Beijing Winter Olympics was successfully lit in front of the ruins of the Hera Temple in Greece. The picture shows The actor George U, who plays the highest priestess, receives the flame. Xinhua News Agency
Anastasia (left) and Alexander from France present their entries at the Invitational Youth Painting Competition entitled "Welcoming the Beijing Winter Olympics" at unesco headquarters in Paris, France, on 15 December 2021. Xinhua News Agency
The Beijing Winter Olympics will strengthen the concept that "events can be carried out safely during the epidemic"
Xiao Lianbing: Dear Mr. Hessler, you have been engaged in the dissemination of the Olympic Movement for a long time. What impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on the Olympic Movement for nearly two years since it ravaged the world?
Hessler: Over the past 125 years, the mission of the modern Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games hosted in various countries have withstood numerous challenges. Everyone who knows the history of the Olympics has read a statement similar to this: "The International Olympic Movement has experienced two world wars, the Great Depression, political boycotts, terrorism, the brink of bankruptcy, and the bribery of bidding cities, cheating in referees, and systematic doping and concealment of facts by sports teams, federations, coaches and athletes." ”
It is well known that the Olympic Games have been cancelled three times in modern history: once in 1916 during the First World War and two times in 1940 and 1944 during the Second World War. The Post-World War II Olympics were never postponed until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were finally postponed to 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an existential threat to the Olympics, but the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games have withstood the test. Even so, in the future, if we want to better continue the Olympic movement, humanity will need to make greater efforts.
The pandemic has provided a convenient excuse for critics to oppose the Games on health, safety and economic costs, and they have often used the media buzz generated by the Games to draw attention to the political issues of the host country. Many critics fear that hosting the Tokyo Olympics will trigger a super-spread event that will cause the epidemic to continue to worsen around the world, advocating the cancellation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Neither the Tokyo Organising Committee nor the International Olympic Committee has had enough time to develop effective guidelines for epidemic prevention and control to ensure the health and safety of athletes and spectators. The Tokyo Olympics had to be postponed for a year. Then we had effective vaccines and guidelines for epidemic prevention. The Tokyo Organising Committee is aware that the Olympic Games can be held in a closed environment, thus guaranteeing the health and safety of all participants. The success of the Tokyo Olympics proved to the world that international events can be conducted without posing a serious threat to humanity.
We now know that the Tokyo Organising Committee and the International Olympic Committee have developed a scientific "playbook". A study conducted five months after the end of the Olympics showed that the infection rate of COVID-19 in Japan actually decreased during the competition, and a small number of cases in the athlete group were effectively controlled in closed areas. The competition continued through live streaming, attracting more than 3 billion viewers worldwide.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will undoubtedly further strengthen the concept that "events can be carried out safely during the epidemic". In the history of the World Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics together prove that the Olympic Movement can overcome every challenge and that future generations can still celebrate the great human spirit through the Olympic Games.
"Each of the bidding cities has made a positive contribution to the Olympic spirit"
Xiao Lianbing: As a senior international communication strategist, you have provided bidding planning solutions for the cities bidding for the Olympic Games. Please introduce the relevant information of the application and the significance of the application.
Hessler: Each city's bid report consists of two parts: "Why" and "How to Do It." "How to do" is mainly related to the technical aspect, from the level of complex and specific details to explain how to host a successful Olympic Games. "Why" mainly conveys a city's emotional vision of the Olympic Games, describes the uniqueness of its culture, introduces the celebration of the bidding city design, and embodies the city's dream of achieving better development through the Olympic Movement. Each bidding city has made positive contributions to the development of the Olympic spirit in its own country and the world, because the bidding activity itself is a great story of the Olympic concept in dozens of countries around the world, and countries compete to participate in the bidding, and also contribute a lot of talents to the Olympic Movement.
Xiao Lianbing: You have contributed not only to the United States, but also to the successful bid of other countries for the Olympic Games. Tell us your story of Beijing's bid to host the Olympic Games.
Hessler: I had a very rare opportunity in my life to help Beijing bid for the 2008 Olympics and to tell the story of Beijing.
Given the political resistance of some countries to Beijing's bid for the Olympic Games at the time, our communications strategy revolved around the undeniable fact that "China is changing." We explained Beijing's bid for the Olympic Games as China's desire to go global and participate in the international community. We sent the message to the world that China is the engine of the world economy and that China has become closely linked to the world through trade, but what ultimately impressed the IOC was the Chinese people's strong desire for the Olympic Games and the historical significance of bringing the Games to the world's most populous country. At the time, the 72-year-old He Zhenliang was a senior member of the International Olympic Committee from China and was highly respected by Olympic colleagues around the world. He was the last speaker at the IOC Plenary Meeting in Moscow on 13 July 2001. He begins his statement with a memorable value proposition: "My dear friends and colleagues, no matter which decision you make today, you will make history, but only one decision can change history. "This simple and profound opening allows the world to see the pioneering significance of hosting the Olympic Games in China. In the afternoon, the International Olympic Committee voted to give Beijing the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
In 2008, China hosted a wonderful sports and cultural celebration, and I was honored to participate in the planning of the theme of the Beijing Olympic Games. On the field, the historical significance of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games can be reflected in two extraordinary athletes: the irresistible Usain Bolt, who won the world championships in the 100m and 200m sprints, and after successfully defending the title at the London Olympics in 2012 and Rio 2016, Bolt became the greatest sprinter in the history of the world; the other was the unbeatable swimmer Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics alone. Breaking mark Speitz's record at the Olympics 36 years ago; with the addition of subsequent Olympic competitions, Phelps won a total of 28 Olympic gold medals. Imagine if the IOC catered to individual countries' political opposition to Beijing's bid and backed down in the face of harsh criticism from China's opponents, Bolt, Phelps and thousands of other lesser-known athletes could be deprived of that unique moment on that historic world stage.
Sport is the means to achieve the grand goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind
Xiao Lianbing: Like the concept advocated by the Olympic Movement, the values shared by all mankind have also been formed from the development of the times. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that humanity shares a common destiny and a shared responsibility. Do you think that the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind will become a common value of mankind in the post-epidemic era?
Hessler: At the heart of the Olympic spirit, or the vision of the Olympic Movement, is to unite all humanity in friendship and peace through sport. Through the ceremonies and symbolism of the Olympic Games, as well as friendly competitions on the world stage, the Olympic Movement is a constant reminder to the peoples of the world that what we share is far more powerful than what divides us. This is the raison d'être of the Olympic Movement. From this perspective, the Olympic Movement recognizes that humanity lives in a diverse community of common destiny.
In 1980 Samaranch became the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee. Samaranch clearly understands the mission of the Olympic Movement: "The ideal we pursue is to unite the world peacefully for the benefit of all humanity, regardless of race, religion or political conviction. I think this phrase is remarkable because it doesn't use the word "sport" to define the ultimate goal of the Olympic movement. Yes, "sports" is only a means, and from Coubertin's first vision of the Olympic Games, sports are the means to achieve a larger goal, and this goal, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed, is to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
When I first participated in the Olympic work, I remember reading a sentence from the Olympic Charter: "The purpose of the Olympic Movement is to make sports serve human development, so as to create a better, more peaceful world that respects human dignity." I thought it was encouraging at the time, and it's still inspiring to read it now. Returning to the question itself, I fervently hope that the Olympic Movement will continue to grow and become a link of peace in the eyes of the international community and peoples. If this can be achieved, the Olympic Movement will make people more aware that humanity lives in a community of common destiny and that the institutions that make us more united and strong are indispensable to the world.
Xiao Lianbing: Please further talk about your understanding of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Hessler: This philosophy calls for humanity to find unity in diversity. It was also Coubertin's call when he founded the modern Olympic movement to find unity in diversity and to meet on the field, an important step towards building mutual respect for all nations, regardless of their cultural, religious, ethnic or political differences. In fact, the Community of Shared Future for Mankind is a good summary of the olympic movement's mission to build a better world through sport.
During Coubertin's Olympic career, he worked hard to make the Olympic Games universal. In the process of promoting sports everywhere, Coubertin hopes that the door to the international Olympiad will be open to all. Coubertin believed that the great mission of the Olympic Movement could only be realized when more and more countries hosted the Olympic Games. That's what he said in a 1936 interview with the French journalist André Lang about the next Olympic Games, in which Coubertin echoed André's view that the Olympic movement is dead, reaffirming the mission of the Olympic Movement to develop sport in every country on the planet. He hoped that the IOC would remain politically neutral so that every country could eventually host the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games are an excellent platform for expressing the sacred ideal of human solidarity
Xiao Lianbing: After writing The Idealist: The Story of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, your new book, Coubertin Says, was published in Chinese edition by Unity Press in 2021. What was your motivation for writing these two books?
Hessler: It seems to me that Pierre Coubertin is one of the greatest heroes in history that has not been forgotten. Just as I believe that the Olympic Movement brings great hope for the future of the world, I believe that Coubertin's story can be a source of inspiration for people around the world because he created the Olympic Movement and its philosophical foundations and values. Indeed, one of the best ways to understand the true meaning and ultimate potential of the Olympic Movement is to understand Coubertin's vision and his hopes for the Olympic Games. When I learned about his story, I couldn't resist the urge to share it with my friends, and I integrated my understanding of Coubertin into the Olympic bid I participated in, and I looked forward to bringing this understanding to more people. That's why I wrote the books The Idealist and The Coubertin Says.
In 1989, when I was first hired to participate in the Atlanta Olympic bid, I was sent to Lausanne, Switzerland, to study Olympic history and Olympic bid knowledge. For the first time, I discovered that the Olympic Games are part of a global movement that aims to unite humanity in a common bond of friendship and peace through sport and global competition in order to create a better world. I was struck by this discovery, and later I learned that this incredible international movement was founded by Pierre Coubertin in his early struggles, who went to great lengths to make the Olympics a permanent part of the world calendar.
I was struck by the fact that Coubertin created a movement that the whole world knew about and admired. Perhaps my early life could explain why I felt Coubertin's story was so important. I was born in 1947, just two years after the end of World War II, and I grew up living in fear that nuclear war would eventually destroy humanity.
After I graduated from high school, the Vietnam War began, and for the first time in my life I witnessed the effects of a military conflict that could permeate every American family. I opposed the war and gradually became an anti-war advocate, taking part in demonstrations to protest U.S. aggressive policies in Southeast Asia. The pursuit of peace has become my life's passion, and I've always believed that our world needs idealists.
So when I came into contact with Coubertin and learned about his mission to promote peace through sport, at the age of 40, it was as if I had found a new purpose in life. I couldn't wait to share his story and philosophy, so it took me four and a half years to write The Idealist and then Coubertin Says, both of which are the product of my pursuit of new goals in life.
Xiao Lianbing: What is your interpretation of the Olympic Games and its spirit?
Hessler: In today's challenging times, the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement are an excellent platform for expressing the sacred ideal of human solidarity at the global level. When people from all over the world see the best young athletes in the world bring honor to their homeland in peaceful competitions, their infection reflects the Olympic spirit. Even though many people may not understand the philosophical value embodied in a sport, they can at least learn who is the world number one in a sport by watching the Olympic Games.
Is being faster, higher, stronger really important to our world? For us, is it important to know who runs the fastest in 100 meters, who jumps the highest, who can lift the biggest weight above our heads? If audience is the only measure, the answer is undoubtedly yes, all over the world. In today's world of bad news and divisions, discussions about the Olympics and the performance of athletes are crucial.
But there's another group that's more important than the global audience watching the Olympics, who aren't sports journalists or broadcasters covering the games, not brand sponsors who spend billions of dollars, but athletes themselves, people who have surpassed themselves generation after generation, who have the courage and determination to challenge themselves and prove to the world, to themselves, to their families, that they are the best in the world. It was their achievements that attracted a global audience and evoked the Olympic spirit in the hearts of too many people during the Olympic Games.
The role of sport has always been to build bridges, not walls
Xiao Lianbing: Public opinion in some countries has politicized the Olympic Games under the guise of defending human rights.
Hessler: The Olympics are not only the greatest sporting event in the world, but also the greatest media event. Now, about half of the world's population, or more than 3 billion people, watch the Olympics. This means that the Olympics are an extremely enticing political platform. For those of us who run the Olympic movement, as Coubertin said, it is important to remain politically neutral and support the Olympic Games in any one of the host countries. The current President of the International Olympic Committee has also forcefully stated this principle on many occasions.
In September 2013, two months after his election as President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach addressed the United Nations, calling on all countries to recognize the role that sport can play in "building a better, more peaceful world." He pointed out: "In the relationship between sport and politics, it must be clear that the role of sport is always to build bridges, not to build walls. Sport represents dialogue and understanding that transcends all differences. "Sport, especially the Olympic Movement, is a source of understanding of the diversity of cultures, societies and lifestyles around the world." We never blame or ostracize anyone. To that end, we oppose any form of boycott. Resistance is contradictory to sportsmanship and deprives sport of the means to work for peace, mutual understanding and solidarity. ”
Xiao Lianbing: At the 138th IOC meeting in July 2021, the Olympic motto officially joined "more unity". Why did the IOC revise the Olympic motto?
Hessler: The COVID-19 pandemic has made humanity aware of the importance of strengthening solidarity. As President of the International Olympic Committee, Bach has often stressed that our world needs greater unity and greater unity among members of the Olympic family. I am not surprised that the IOC launched the "Stronger Together" campaign a few years ago, and "More Solidarity" is placed in the new Olympic motto, which is an appropriate response to the current global cooperation response to the epidemic.
Xiao Lianbing: How do you interpret the theme slogan of the Beijing Winter Olympics, "Together for the Future"?
Hessler: Given the context of the pandemic, I think the theme slogan of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is very meaningful, an affinity, an appealing slogan, and very important for the Olympic Movement and the long-term vision of the world. This thematic slogan is essentially a call for human solidarity and for recognition of the fact that human beings are united by a common experience. With a focus on our common future, this theme slogan expresses the idea that people coming together for the Olympics is actually strengthening the bonds between us that span all our national, political, religious and ethnic boundaries.
At the same time, it is also an optimistic theme slogan, which is very much in line with the mission and commitment of the Olympic Movement to unite all mankind. The theme slogan emphasizes "together" and is also a direct response to the new Olympic motto, in which the Olympic Movement and China are aligned in their vision.
The Beijing Winter Olympics will allow athletes to realize their dreams
Xiao Lianbing: What are your expectations for the Beijing Winter Olympics?
Hessler: In fighting the pandemic and fulfilling its commitments to the global sports community and the Olympic Movement, China will boost the confidence of all of humanity. Beijing has made incredible efforts in the field of winter sports infrastructure that will make it possible for athletes to realize their dreams.
I am excited to follow the Beijing Winter Olympics on TV, computer and mobile phone. The Beijing Winter Olympic venues look beautiful, and the whole operational planning between Beijing and the mountains is great. As an Olympic enthusiast and, of course, as an American, I will be watching closely to see if Mikaela Schifflin can set multiple skiing records in Beijing. At just 26 years old, Schifflin is already one of the greatest skiers in history, and she plans to participate in 5 different sports in Beijing: Slalom, Big Slalom, Super Slalom, Downhill and Nordic Biathlon, when the world will pay attention to her. I believe that the story of her winning the medal will be passed down through the years, and the diplomatic boycott has long been forgotten.
It seems to me that the whole world is currently in an atmosphere of political confrontation, which is one of the reasons why I fully support the Olympic Movement. Our world is divided by ethnic, religious, ethnic, ideological, political, etc., but all these divisions can be tolerated as long as we engage in dialogue. And war is undoubtedly the worst division, it means the end of dialogue. I believe that the leaders of every country can find common ground in dialogue to avoid the tragedy of conflict, and that the Olympic Movement can and should be a major part of that consensus.
I hope and believe that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics can unite people around the world and contribute to building a better and more peaceful world.
(Liang Guangyu, Executive Director and President of Unity Publishing House Co., Ltd., Liang Yimin, translator of "Coubertin's Sayings", assisted in the planning, and Wang Peiyao, International Exchange, Cooperation and Communication Center of Guangming Daily)
Guangming Daily (2022.01.26. 12th edition)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily