Olympics about golden hearts too

When Chinese athlete Xu Mengtao won gold in the freestyle skiing women's aerials, China's first in that category, the spectators' joy knew no bounds, as it was her first medal after participating in four Olympics.

But what came as an icing on the cake was when her US competitor Ashley Caldwell congratulated her on her success, gave her a tight hug and called her "Tao Tao".

Such a generous display of warmth is in keeping with the Olympic spirit. Caldwell had ranked first after the first round of the final, but she messed up the landing on her last jump, finishing fourth. And yet she came forward to congratulate Xu.

There have been many such warm moments during the ongoing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. At the freeski women's slopestyle finals, Gu Ailing, who won gold for China in the women's freeski big air, gave Norwegian athlete Johanne Killi a tight hug after she completed all her difficult moves.

Athletes are not only competitors, but also good friends－that's a main attraction of the Olympics. That's why they send best wishes and heartfelt congratulations to their competitors, even if they have themselves lost.

The camaraderie among athletes is commendable. As competitors they compete against each other for gold, but as friends they strive together to challenge the outermost limits. It is this effort that helps them set Olympic records.

After she won gold on Monday, many people congratulated Xu, but they also remarked that the hug she received from her competitor is what the Olympics are all about. That's true, because the true Olympic spirit is beyond victory or defeat, beyond national boundaries, and beyond race and skin color.

That's what makes the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics especially attractive. Winning a medal is definitely important, and so is the color of the medal, but one needs a golden heart to cope with all the difficulties on the field and still congratulate one's competitors, hug them, and express one's love for them.