Ramping up the feel-good factor

Rival freeskiers' joint celebration latest heartwarming highlight of Games

The Olympic spirit has been in plentiful supply at Beijing 2022, with the Games delivering numerous heartwarming moments of sportsmanship and friendship－particularly between China and the United States.

Nowhere has this been more in evidence than at the conclusion of the women's aerials freestyle skiing competition at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou on Monday night.

After China's Xu Mengtao won gold, American fourth-place finisher Ashley Caldwell roared congratulations to her friend: "Taotao, Olympic champion! I'm so proud of you!"

The moment touched the hearts of many Chinese netizens, who heaped praise on both competitors on social media.

"I'm really moved. This is the spirit that the Olympic Games really want to convey," one said on Weibo.

"They are rivals, but also friends. This moment is pretty touching," another wrote.

Caldwell's comments in the post-final news conference only added to the feelgood factor.

"Taotao has been pushing triples (jumps) for longer than I have, and I respect her wholeheartedly," said Caldwell, who like Xu was competing at her fourth Games.

"For her to win the gold medal in her own country is an incredible accomplishment and it brought tears to my eyes just as much as sadness did."

Bing Dwen Dwen, the in-demand mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympics, has been one of the biggest success stories of the Games－flying off the shelves and going viral online. The cuddly panda character has also become a symbol of friendship between Chinese and American curlers.

After the United States beat China 7-5 in a mixed doubles curling match on Feb 5, Fan Suyuan and Ling Zhi presented their American rivals, Christopher Plys and Vicky Persinger, with a set of commemorative pin badges featuring Bing Dwen Dwen.

The four competitors posed together for the cameras while displaying the pin sets, with the American duo later posting the pictures on Twitter, accompanied by a message which read: "Honored to receive these beautiful Beijing 2022 pin sets in a wonderful display of sportsmanship by our Chinese counterparts."

"Friendship first, competition second," one netizen commented on the goodwill gesture, reviving a phrase coined in the early 1970s which was often used during the era's famous "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" between China and the US.

"They're just beautiful, something super unique. These will be on my desk for a very, very long time," Plys said.

"The pins are beautiful and so special. We'll remember this forever," Persinger added.