Moments of warmth at Games lead to shared future

There were two hugs at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics that brought tears to my eyes. It's important to share those moments that showcased kindness, friendship and respect among people regardless of where they are from and the disputes between their countries.

The first instance played out when Chinese freestyle skier Xu Mengtao won the gold in the women's aerials on Feb 14. Ashley Caldwell of the United States, leading the field after posting the highest score over the first two jumps, went for the final jump and after failing to make a clean landing, almost immediately realized her score wouldn't surpass that of Xu, who had run next to last and set an extremely high bar with a back full-full-full.

After being visibly disappointed for a few seconds, Caldwell turned to Xu whose nickname is Taotao and shouted: "Taotao, Olympic champion!" The two athletes hugged tightly, their emotional embrace instilling much-needed warmth in everyone present at the venue on that extremely cold night.

At that momentous instant, it dawned on me that people can be there for each other and cheer for each other's success when they understand they can achieve so much more by supporting each other.

A tiny ideal world was created at the Beijing Winter Olympics, in which people put aside their cultural and political differences and worked together toward the same goal－testing the limits of human endurance and showcasing their skills.

As US curler Christopher Plys said, he won't let his country's politics get in the way of what's going on at Beijing 2022. "At the end of the day, man, we all bleed the same blood and play the same game," he said after partnering US teammates to beat Team China in a mixed doubles match.

The Winter Games has given athletes a chance to clear some misunderstandings about China even though they had to follow the strict COVID-19 protocol－something that some governments and media are afraid to talk about. After all, creating misunderstandings and dividing people are key political manipulation tools.

Freestyle skier Aaron Blunck of the US said at a news conference after arriving in China that the country has done a stellar job with the COVID-19 protocol. "I didn't really know what to expect, being stateside you've kind of heard some pretty bad media, and that is completely false－it's actually been phenomenal," he said. "Everybody, from staff, to COVID testers, to accommodation, it's probably, honestly, one of the better Olympics that we've been to."

Not surprisingly, the journalist with US-based Wall Street Journal who asked the question－how the athletes were coping with the COVID-19 protocol at the news conference－didn't use those quotes. Also, as expected, Blunck was criticized by some for "praising China "when he was simply describing his true feelings.

Fortunately, those noises didn't affect Blunck's "fun time" at the Winter Games. "Thanks to everyone who makes it so much fun and safe for everyone. What an experience that I will never forget. Out of the three Olympics I've been to this was hands down the most fun and best Olympics I've been to," he wrote on social media after returning to the US.

The other emotional hug took place at the National Cross-Country Skiing Center on the last day of the Winter Olympics. For me, that moment marked the perfect ending to the sports gala.

On Feb 20, Dinigeer Yilamujiang of China finished last in the cross-country women's 30-kilometer mass start free race in cold and windy conditions. Everyone could see she had tried her best just to finish the race. Yet to everyone's surprise, Therese Johaug of Norway, who had finished in first place 25 minutes ahead of Dinigeer, re-appeared at the finishing line and opened her arms to welcome Dinigeer. As Dinigeer crossed the line, she gave her a big hug and said: "You've made it!"

That was nothing short of pure sportsmanship. As International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said at the closing ceremony, people were deeply touched by the way athletes were wishing and cheering for their competitors.

Also, a short video of the Games' highlights shown at the closing ceremony ended with a picture of Russian freestyle skier Ilia Burov hugging Ukraine's Oleksandr Abramenko after the men's freestyle ski aerials' finals on Feb 16.

The Moscow Times reported in January that Ukraine's sports minister had asked Ukrainian athletes to avoid standing next to their Russian counterparts at the Beijing Winter Olympics. But the moment the two athletes shared the joy of winning medals made politics insignificant.

After the finals, Burov said he and Abramenko have known each other for a long time. "We will always be friends and support each other."

That prompted Bach to say: "You not only respected each other. You supported each other. You embraced each other, even if your countries are divided by conflict." He added: "You overcame these divisions, demonstrating that in this Olympic community we are all equal, regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or what we believe in."

I hope political leaders around the world are inspired by the athletes' display of solidarity and peace. Because at the end of the day, people around the world need to work together for a bright shared future.

The author is a writer with China Daily. 

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