Beijing Winter Olympics embodies an ideal world
Athletes parade during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 20, 2022. The Beijing Olympic Winter Games, which ends on Sunday, has given athletes across the globe an opportunity to understand each other and make friends.
Closing Ceremony
BEIJING, Feb. 20– They have come from different continents, with different skin colors, but on the ice and snow in China, they laughed together, took photos together, and hugged each other to congratulate or comfort.
The Beijing Olympic Winter Games, which ends on Sunday, has given athletes across the globe an opportunity to understand each other and make friends, just as the angelic voices at the opening ceremony sang: “thousands of you and me, gather into a family.”
Friendship
Friendship was shown when American athlete Ashley Caldwell hugged 31-year-old Chinese aerial skier Xu Mengtao after the latter won the gold medal. Caldwell, who had just missed out on the medals, shared Xu’s joy. Lachlan McKirdy, from an Australian media outlet, said on his Twitter account: “That moment between Caldwell and Mengtao Xu is so special! “
It was shown when another American athlete Tessa Maud bade a tearful farewell to Beijing. The 18-year-old snowboarder became known to Chinese people after she posted a vlog on Tiktok, saying a volunteer who welcomed her at the opening ceremony made her tear up. “All the volunteers are so sweet and so kind,” she said. “We feel so welcomed.” Later she received a letter from the volunteer she mentioned, who invited her to visit China again sometime after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Athletes compete during speed skating men’s mass start semifinals of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 19, 2022.
It is not surprising, because people all aspire for good things, especially in a world where instability, inequality and the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting mankind.
The smiling faces of athletes from all countries and regions at the closing ceremony, as well as the video they posted on social media during the Winter Olympics stand as lasting and irrefutable proof.
With athletes coming from 91 countries and regions, the sports gala epitomized an ideal world: safe, fair, and where friendship prevails. It tells the world that it is possible to unite and to compete in a decent way.
While it has come to an end, the memory shall be cherished by both athletes and audiences. During times of hardship, the Games provide a glimpse of hope.
When all the events are finished and everyone has left, the Beijing Winter Olympics theme song still resonates in empty stadiums.
“We all need love, so let’s join our hands; we all have love, so let’s open all the gates,” it says.
Together
“Together for a shared future, let’s go. Together for the future.”
About E. J. McKay
E.J.McKay is a Shanghai-headquartered investment bank with a special focus on mergers & acquisitions. We are one of the most long standing independent investment banks in China, with core business of mergers & acquisitions and financing advisory.