21st Century Business Herald reporter Shi Shi Intern Li Yinong Shanghai reported on the ice and snow event, stunning the world. Since the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the wonderful and fierce competition has made the global audience addicted. In addition to the stimulating sports competition, the green and low carbon of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games has also attracted people's applause and attention.
Erik Solheim, former deputy secretary-general of the United Nations and chairman of the "Belt and Road" Green Development International Alliance, pointed out in an exclusive interview with 21st Century Business Herald that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be very "green" and "this is the first time in history to see a low-carbon Olympic Games." The Beijing Winter Olympics is an outstanding achievement. ”
Solheim said people around the globe should focus on sport itself, not on anything else. "At the dawn of epidemic prevention and control, let us gather together and share the good time brought by the Olympic Games."
He stressed that just like the concept of "we are all human beings and share the world stage" presented at the opening ceremony, the Beijing Winter Olympics made everyone realize that even if there are some differences, they can still jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Solheim added that "unity" is the most important word in the world today, "conflict and isolation will make us achieve nothing, together, we will be able to do anything, and the Winter Olympics are the link that will promote the world towards unity, peace and common prosperity."
The Beijing Winter Olympics emphasized the role of solidarity
"21st Century": The Beijing Winter Olympics is the first major international sports event to arrive as scheduled since the epidemic, what do you think?
Erik Solheim: Right now, people all over the world are eager to get together and have a great time. Due to the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic, some necessary isolation measures, people have suffered some pain, and many people have experienced loneliness and separation. So, it's time for people to come together. When the epidemic sees the dawn, enjoy the joy brought by the Olympic Games together.
21st Century: How do you evaluate the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics?
Erik Solheim: Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the opening ceremony. Not only is it extremely technically outstanding, but it also underscores the idea that we are all human beings and share the world stage. There's an old saying that the world is one family, and the opening ceremony underscored that.
"21st Century": The official slogan of the Beijing Winter Olympics is "Together to the Future", how do you understand this slogan?
Erik Solheim: I firmly believe that in this world, if we work together, we can solve all problems. Pandemics, climate change, trade, economic development, whatever the major problems have been for a long time, as long as we all work together, we can solve them together. The United States, China, Europe, India, etc., all cooperate with each other to solve all the problems. That is the common future. Conversely, if someone wants to divide us, it will be very difficult to achieve our common goals.
"21st Century": The Beijing Winter Olympics have been passing on the theme of "unity". What role do you think sport plays in uniting peoples?
Erik Solheim: I believe that "unity" is the most important word in the world today. I want to emphasize that together, we can create a better future for humanity. Conflict and isolation will render us unproductive. Together, we will be able to do anything. Exercise is a great way to bring people closer together. No matter which sport you like, no matter where you come from in the world, in sports, everyone has a chance.
Sport is a diverse platform for communication
21st Century: You are also involved in sports exchange activities, such as table tennis. How do you think we should strengthen global sports exchanges?
Erik Solheim: I think of "ping-pong diplomacy." Before former US President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972, the "ice-breaking" of China and the United States began with the two countries playing ping-pong players together. In 1971, China invited the American table tennis team to visit China. Table tennis players from both countries have shelved some of the toughest issues between China and the United States and focused on what can be achieved together. And what is opened by table tennis exchanges is the spirit of seeking consensus. This spirit is also worthy of our attention today.
In addition, I would like to add that my hometown of Oslo will hold the "Liu Guoliang Old Tile Cup" in July. At that time, the world's top table tennis players, Waldner from Sweden and Liu Guoliang, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, will lead their own teams, and the world's best active table tennis players will gather together to compete in the same field. At the same time, we will also hold the EU-China Business Summit with the theme of green high technology. This is how we use sport to bring people together while achieving the green goals of society.
21st Century: Your country, Norway, is known for its expertise in winter sports. As far as you know, what cooperation between China and Norway in winter sports?
Erik Solheim: It's interesting that after Beijing became the host city of the Winter Olympics, a lot of Chinese athletes came to Norway to train, such as cross-country skiing, because Norway has a history of more than 100 years in some winter sports. Famous Norwegian athletes also serve as coaches for Chinese teams, such as Bjør Darren, the "king of biathlons", the head coach of the Chinese biathlon national team. In this exchange, we see a spirit of solidarity and cooperation.
21st Century: How will you strengthen multilateral cultural and sports exchanges in the future?
Erik Solheim: I think there's just one message to focus on: sport is great. We should not have negative thoughts of resisting or punishing each other, but rather use sport as a platform for dialogue. Of course, sport cannot erase all differences, and divisions will still exist. But sport creates opportunities to bring people closer together. Therefore, sports convey a voice that although we have differences, we can still jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Keep sporting events away from politics
21st Century: What else can we do to keep sporting events away from politics?
Erik Solheim: We should send the signal that even if we disagree, we can still be in the same boat and participate in the grand event. In fact, there is no magic formula that will make the United States and China agree in every future situation. This is not possible. But if we can bring together the best athletes from both China and the United States, Americans can see how good Chinese athletes are, and vice versa. It's a way to bring people together and reduce conflict. At the same time, it creates an atmosphere where solutions can be discussed together rather than focusing on differences.
The Beijing Winter Olympics set an example for sustainable Olympics
21st Century: China is making good on its promise to host the Green Winter Olympics. How "green" do you think the Beijing Winter Olympics will be?
Erik Solheim: The Beijing Winter Olympics are very "green". This is the first time in history that we have seen the Low Carbon Olympics and it is an outstanding achievement. Hebei alone produces more clean energy than many countries in the world. This is an amazing achievement. Green energy, green transportation, large-scale tree planting, reuse of sports venues, etc., all of these are the remarkable "green" achievements of the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the same time, the Beijing Winter Olympics also showed the world how far we can go in the direction of green sports. It can be said that this Year's Beijing Winter Olympics has conveyed the concept of "Green Olympics" to a wide audience around the world.
"21st Century": The Beijing Winter Olympics may achieve "carbon neutrality". How do you rate this achievement?
Erik Solheim: I believe it's very important that it will be the first time in the history of the Olympics that it will be carbon neutral. Ensuring that this happens in a green fashion through the use of clean renewable energy will be particularly important.
All in all, it was a fantastic Green Olympics, recognized by the International Carbon Bulletin website as a reference.
21st Century: In terms of the Green Olympics, what can the host cities of the future Olympic Games learn from Beijing?
Erik Solheim: I have a lot of confidence in Paris. Paris is also a very green city. They will follow in Beijing's footsteps, building on what they see in Beijing. Paris is also rapidly moving in a green direction, such as building more bike lanes and proposing a vision of a "15-minute city" where everyone can solve recreational facilities, work and housing in areas within walking distance. As a result, Paris will build on Beijing's foundation and take the green concept to the next level at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Hopefully, future host cities, such as Los Angeles in 2028, can take a step closer to advocating the Green Olympics. Beijing has given an excellent precedent and established a good foundation. I believe that in the future, we will see more "green Olympics".
21st Century: Can the Beijing Winter Olympics be a model for a sustainable Olympics?
Erik Solheim: Absolutely, not only the Olympics, but also the host model. For all sporting events, change is happening. This can no longer be done in ancient, nature-destroying ways. We say that the era of relying on fossil fuels to build is over, and now there is a need to emphasize environmental protection. If a sporting event as large as the Olympics can also be green, then in the future, all smaller sports events should also be able to do it. Therefore, the Beijing Winter Olympics is a good precedent. This is the welcome news – China is going green, France is going green – this is a strong green movement, and we will see new positive developments at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Olympic Games are the link to common prosperity
"21st Century": China is solidly promoting common prosperity, how do you think about common prosperity?
Erik Solheim: I think the main challenges facing humanity are basically the same. Whether it's in the U.S., China, Europe, India, etc., wherever you are, think about how you can benefit everyone, benefiting everyone, not just a small group. How can we create economic dynamism while providing social welfare and helping everyone to participate? How do you manage the power of high technology? Today's society is full of opportunities for human beings. Of course, there is also a high-tech revolution in the green area, renewable energy, etc., which we need to achieve together. If you combine these things, we should aim for the common prosperity of humanity, and we should share our views and investments on how to achieve this goal.
For example, if you're a coal worker in Shanxi Province, China, or Kentucky, USA, this development can give you a better future. The same is true for high-tech practitioners in Guangzhou or California. So we need to get everyone involved, which is a common problem for humanity.
21st Century: How can China promote unity, peace and common prosperity through the Beijing Winter Olympics?
Erik Solheim: As we've been talking about, people should be concerned about the fact that we're a global family and should be in the same boat. While sporting events emphasize competitive competition, they are also a platform for people to come together and foster friendships.
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