Traditional touch to enrich presentation of Games

With less than a month to go before the Beijing Winter Olympics begin, organizers are confident that the presentation elements of the Games will run smoothly and safely.

Chen Ning, director of the culture and ceremonies department for the Beijing 2022 organizing committee (BOCOG), explained that his work falls under six sections－landscaping, sports display, award ceremonies, the torch relay, urban cultural activities and Winter Olympic cultural activities.

With the Winter Olympics being a celebration of both sports and culture, Chen said that traditional Chinese culture played an important role in the presentation of the Beijing Winter Olympics to the world.

"The pictograms for the 2022 Games were inspired by Chinese calligraphy and seal carvings, combining elements of winter sports with traditional Chinese culture,"Chen said.

Inspired by ancient jade ornaments known as "yu bi", the Beijing 2022 medals are officially named "Tongxin", meaning "Together as one".

Similar to the 2008 Games, jade is a key component of the 2022 medals, highlighting Beijing's status as the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Beijing 2022 torch also echoes the design from 2008. Engravings of cloud patterns, an element used on the 2008 torch to signify good fortune, gradually morph into snowflakes at the top.

According to Chen, a number of activities, including the torch relay, have been adjusted due to health and safety considerations related to the pandemic.

"We combined the traditional torch relay with the Olympic flame display by streamlining the scale and innovating the format," Chen said. "The Olympic spirit and the concept of the Beijing Winter Olympics will be promoted during the process, even within a reduced three-day time-frame.

"The choice of the torch relay route also reflects the 'Double Olympic City' heritage. Starting from the Olympic Park, part of the legacy of the 2008 Games, the torch relay will then move to the Winter Olympic Park, which will become another legacy after the Games, transforming into a marathon base."

Unlike the Summer Games, Winter Olympic athletes will initially receive souvenirs immediately after the competition before being presented with their medals at an award ceremony at the Medals Plaza by the end of the day or the next day.

Therefore, in order to create a better atmosphere for the athletes, various performances will be staged during the award ceremony.

BOCOG has also planned a variety of cultural activities, including an initiative that invites fans to write postcards to their favorite athletes. The postcards will then be delivered to the athletes during the Games.

Media center opens

On Wednesday, BOCOG announced that the Main Media Center (MMC) has begun operations.

The Games will have a media center for accredited journalists inside the closed-loop management system and one for non-accredited media outside the loop, both in Beijing and in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, where it will be known as the Mountain Media Center.

Accredited journalists can interview athletes in the mixed zones of the competition venues, Winter Olympic Villages and Medals Plazas in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. News conferences will be held in the MMC and the non-accredited media center, all of which will be broadcast live on the MyInfo system. Journalists can also ask questions through the system and download the content of the conferences afterward.

The MMC and the Mountain Media Center will provide 24-hour catering services for journalists, while 24-hour room service is available at nearly 50 designated hotels. There will be designated transport between the three competition zones and venues. Convenience stores and laundromats are among the services provided inside the closed loop. There will also be designated personnel on call to help journalists buy essentials or aid them with any urgent business.

Xinhua