Usman Mahmood
As the date of the opening ceremony of Beijing Winter Olympics is drawing near the warmth and enthusiasm of the winter Olympics is rising with every passing day all over China specially in Beijing.
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will provide an opportunity to elevate China’s role in fostering international solidarity, peace, and the green transition, a Pakistani scholar has said.
Usman Mahmood, a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Pakistan relations said the sporting jamboree, whose preparations have gone overdrive will also showcase the Asian nation’s soft power, ecological civilization model, and its sterling performance in the COVID-19 battle.
In another milestone Beijingwill host the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first city to host both a Summer and a Winter Games.
Beijing, of course, hosted the 2008 Summer Games.”By hosting the Olympics, Beijing is demonstrating its international cooperation resolve, putting forward some of the best infrastructure aimed at strengthening the spirit and outcomes of the games,” Mahmood remarked.Beijing rekindles Olympic enthusiasm as 20,000 out of 1 million applicants selected as volunteers.
While noting that Olympic Games have fostered unity and human ingenuity, Usman said the 2022 edition in Beijing will raise the bar higher in advancing humanity’s collective good.
He lauded China for the meticulous preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, adding that staging them against a backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions over the past two years will be a major feat.
China has completed renovation of the National Stadium, dubbed the “Bird’s Nest,” where the opening and closing ceremonies for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are to be held, marking the conclusion of all construction work on venues and supporting infrastructure for the Games.
The designs for these sleek-looking gold, bronze and silver medals reveal a creative design ethos that focuses on China’s cultural creativity.
Adopting the theme tongxin (Lit: same heart), meaning “to be in one,” the medals’ design resonates with the Olympic Games’ pursuit of bringing the world together with respect to difference and diversity.
In resonating with the “one” concept, the medal’s body took inspiration from the ancient Chinese bi, a type of flat disk often made from jade that was believed to have religious significance.
There are five circles on the surface of the medal that not only refer to the five Olympic rings’ message of binding the five continents together, but also symbolize the harmonious connotation represented by the bi.
Statements from various departments exhibit full preparation for and confidence in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, as authorities in civil aviation, public security and broadcasting, and teams for snowmaking and meteorology said they are fully prepared.
Mahmood noted that Beijing has come up with a solid plan to enhance the safety of international athletes.
He commended China’s decision to offer COVID-19 vaccines to participants at Beijing Winter Olympics besides promoting regular screening and other pandemic control measures.
“China’s enviable track record in containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic therefore makes Beijing one of the most qualified nations to stage the Olympic Games at this time,” said Usman Mahmood.
He observed that for the first time in the history of the Olympics, the 2022 edition will be powered by green energy, hence marking a significant milestone in blending sports and climate action.
The expert stressed that Olympic Games have always served to bridge cultural, political and ideological divides adding that the Beijing edition will test China’s resolve to rally nations toward unity as opposed to division.
The music video for Chinese singer Jackson Yee’s “Together for a Shared Future,” also the official motto for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, was released lastMonday.
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will take place between February 4 and 20, followed by the Winter Paralympics from March 4 to 13. [The Author is Research Scholar & PhD in International Relations]
