BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A group of warriors eager to illuminate their dreams with ice and snow are about to gather at the "Bird's Nest". When the ancient capital of Beijing was labeled the "City of The Two Olympics", everyone's memories were like a time machine, returning to the summer of 2008.
On that day, Yao Ming held aloft the national flag and walked at the forefront of the Chinese delegation, and the national flag fluttering in the wind connected hundreds of millions of people. Beside him is Lin Hao, the "heroic teenager of earthquake relief" in the Wenchuan earthquake. When the two enter the "Bird's Nest" together, it is the best interpretation of the integration of competition and humanities.
Years later, on the upcoming February 4, when the eyes of the world are once again focused on Beijing, in what way will the host write a beautiful poem welcoming visitors from all over the world? This time, we witnessed it together.
The picture shows Yao Ming and Lin Hao taking the lead in entering the room China News Service reporter Ren Chenming took the photo
On the 30th, the standard-bearer of the Chinese sports delegation at the Beijing Winter Olympics announced that Gao Tingyu, a male Chinese speed skating athlete, and Zhao Dan, a female athlete of Chinese steel frame snowmobiles, were elected respectively.
As a person who is at the forefront of the phalanx, the flag bearer is an honor and a responsibility. On February 4, the National Stadium "Bird's Nest", the two will raise the national flag to show the world the confidence of the host.
In 2016, Gao Tingyu was selected for the Chinese national speed skating team. Four years ago in Pyeongchang, he won the bronze medal in the men's 500m in speed skating with a time of 34.65 seconds, becoming the first Chinese male athlete to win a medal in speed skating at the Winter Olympics.
During the preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Gao Tingyu showed excellent competitive status. On September 26, 2021, in the China Cup Speed Skating Elite League, Gao Tingyu broke the national record for the men's 500 meters of speed skating with a time of 33.83 seconds.
Data chart: Gao Tingyu in the competition China News Agency reporter Song Jihe photo
For the steel frame snowmobile project, many viewers may not know it. Zhao Dan, a "post-00s" young player born in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is the leader of the Chinese women's team in this project. In the 2021/2022 season, she won the intercontinental cup in Innsbruck.
From 1980 to 2018, Chinese sports delegations set foot on the Winter Olympics 11 times. At the grand opening ceremony, 11 flag bearers held high the national flag and marched forward, behind them was the growing phalanx of Chinese ice and snow athletes. Before stepping into the arena, the opening ceremony became the perfect encounter between ice and passion.
Bring the memory back to the 1980s, the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, when China first sent teams to compete. Faced with an unknown journey, Zhao Weichang, who has won the men's national speed skating all-around championship for 11 consecutive times, went to the center of the stage and became the first flag bearer of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics of the Chinese sports delegation.
The picture shows Zhao Weichang. Image source: CCTV video screenshot.
At that time, he was a speed skater who broke the national record 26 times, and he was also the most outstanding member of the delegation. After many years, when talking about that experience, Zhao Weichang, who was over seventy years old, still had excitement in his eyes. He clearly remembers that when he walked into the opening ceremony venue with the national flag in his hand, the audience applauded the Chinese delegation for its return to the Olympic family.
From Zhao Shijian and Zhang Shubin to Song Chen and Liu Gongfei, from speed skaters to figure skaters, behind the expansion of the lineup of flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games is the historical breakthrough of Chinese ice and snow athletes in the Winter Olympic Games.
From the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, there was the excitement of Yang Yang and Han Xiaopeng creating history, the touching of veteran Tong Jian sticking to the field, and the joy of Zhou Yang after defending his title...
Before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, when Zhou Yang, a short-track speed skater who participated in the Winter Olympics for the third time, was told that she would serve as the standard-bearer of the Chinese delegation, she repeatedly called out "super happy and extremely honored."
The picture shows the Chinese delegation entering, and the flag bearer is Zhou Yang, a short track speed skater.
At that time, the needle was turned to February 4, and the Chinese delegation fighting at its doorstep sent an unprecedentedly large lineup. The two people who walked in the front of the phalanx, Gao Tingyu and Zhao Dan inherited the spirit of their predecessors, and with expectations for the future, they would make a perfect appearance at the "Bird's Nest". (End)