Winter Olympics of the people

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games are underway. As with all international sporting events, the spectators have been touched by the incredible acts of sportsmanship and the many heartwarming stories from behind the scenes.

At the same time, the 2022 Winter Olympics also stands out as the Games of the people. That's what makes it truly exceptional and leaves lasting memories in Olympic history.

The Winter Games have generated enthusiasm for winter sports among ordinary people. Six and a half years on since 2015 when China won the bid for the 2022 Winter Games, more and more Chinese people, including those in the southern provinces, have participated in winter sports training, amateur or professional competitions, and winter sports-related leisure activities. By the end of 2021, about 346 million Chinese people had participated in "ice and snow sports". China has made good on the promise of bringing winter sports to nearly one-fourth of its population.

The Winter Games focus on the participation of ordinary people, starting with the opening ceremony. There were no stars, no celebrities or professional performers, just ordinary people showing the world who they are, including a group of untrained dancers ranging from five-year-olds to people in their 70s who performed cheerful "square dancing" (a popular form of physical exercise among Chinese people, especially senior citizens) as a "warm-up show" for the ceremony.

Volunteers in blue and white uniforms, mostly university students, are serving both the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. With 19,000 working at the venues and many more supporting the Games from the outside, young people pitch in wherever needed with warm smiles. They are the unrecognized stars of the Games and an important force of "Together for a Shared Future".

The Winter Games have been truly enjoyed by the ordinary people. Chinese people have been avidly following the Games online. Beijing 2022 is already the most-viewed Winter Olympics in China ever. For the Chinese people, it's less about winning medals, and more about cheering for sporting excellence and enjoying the charm of winter sports.

Just like President Xi Jinping said during his meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach: "I don't care how many gold medals Chinese athletes win this time. I care more about the motivation and vitality it will inject into us in the future."

Outside the competition venues, another bewitching race is on－to get a Bing Dwen Dwen, the panda mascot for the Games. Two days after the opening ceremony, figurines of the mascot had been sold out all over China. Other than the fluffy panda, Chinese netizens are also swooning over Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, a two-time Olympic champion whose insistence on doing the almost impossibly quadruple axel, or"4A", became an inspiration for millions.

The Games' legacy will continue to benefit the people. Take the impressive Big Air Shougang for example. Viewers across the world have watched the world's top snowboarders flying down ramps built on the side of former cooling towers.

This gigantic ski ramp rising from a disused steel mill was designed and built with a much bigger agenda: boosting winter sports industries and tourism, driving economic growth and bettering people's lives in the years to come. Shougang district, once the heart of Beijing's industrial complex, is a pilot project for the reformation of antiquated industrial zones across China.

The snow-covered Chongli county in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, is one more testimony to the ongoing changes. Chongli used to be an impoverished, mountainous area. Today, it has become a hot destination for winter sports tourism. One out of every five locals is now employed in the winter sports industry, benefiting directly from the dividends of the Winter Olympics. "Sustainability for the future" is what Beijing 2022 calls for and is delivering (and will continue to deliver) for the people.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, said: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part." In terms of letting people take part, Beijing 2022 will definitely go down in history as an Olympics that puts people at the center.

The author is a Beijing-based commentator.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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