China on Friday unveiled emblems for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics inspired by Chinese calligraphy in a star-studded ceremony featuring musical performances by actor Jackie Chan and pianist Lang Lang.
Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, is to become the first city ever to hold both the summer and winter Games as the country looks to burnish its sporting prestige.
At the glitzy ceremony in the Chinese capital, a dramatic drumbeat accompanied the countdown to reveal the Olympics logo: bold brushstrokes of color resembling the shape of a skier, as well as the Chinese character for “winter.”
Photo: Reuters
The 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games emblem was similar in design and resembles the Chinese character for “flight” in calligraphy.
“The emblems combine Chinese culture and ... the passion, energy and vigor of winter sports,” Beijing Organizing Committee president Cai Qi said on stage at the event.
The country of 1.3 billion is home to only about 6 million skiers, but Chinese President Xi Jinping hopes that number will rise to 300 million in the coming years as he tries to turn the country into a winter sports powerhouse.
The Chinese government had to sort through about 4,500 entries from designers before choosing the emblems, which are also meant to represent “a pursuit of excellence,” Cai said.
During the show, Chan belted out the song Wake Up Winter in English and Mandarin as clips of people playing winter sports played on a giant screen.
The ceremony, which was attended by former Chinese Olympians, took place at the futuristic “Water Cube” — the former site for swimming events at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.
International Olympics Committee president Thomas Bach said via video message that Beijing is set to “make history” as the first city to host both the summer and winter Games.
Beijing won the bid over only one other contender, Almaty, Kazakhstan, after other cities backed out over high costs.
China had great success with the Summer Olympics, but its few Winter Olympics victories have been centered on speed skating.
The Chinese capital has financial muscle and the political determination of a one-party state, but the country still has scant top-class facilities for outdoor events and only about 1m of snow falls annually in the mountains north of Beijing, where alpine skiing events are to be held.
Beijing is to employ an elaborate artificial snow-making system, Beijing officials have said.
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