BEIJING, 31 January (BelTA - Xinhua). - The 2022 Winter Olympics, the first international multi-sport event to be held as scheduled since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a successful practice of the new Olympic motto - "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together," said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a recent meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach in Beijing.
The notion of "Together," championed by the Olympic Movement, is needed more than ever, Xi noted.
"Instead of riding separately in some 190 small boats, countries around the world should stay together in one giant ship and sail toward a brighter future, and this is why we came up with 'Together for a Shared Future' as the official motto for Beijing 2022," Xi said.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging the world, with the variants of the virus evolving rapidly. This is a time when countries around the world need to work together. Only mutual assistance and solidarity can help them defeat the global challenge.
The world needs solidarity more than ever to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge challenges facing mankind, said Bach, who proposed to add the notion of “Together” to the Olympic motto the last year. It marked the first time that the motto has been updated since it was incorporated into the Olympic Charter in 1913, which mirrored the common aspiration of mankind to address challenges with solidarity.
As the first international multi-sport event to be held as scheduled since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beijing 2022 is supported by both the Chinese people and the international society.
In his meeting with Xi, Bach wished for a world of greater unity. Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly also solemnly appealed to all UN member states to demonstrate their commitment to the Olympic Truce for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Besides, there have been voices supporting the Beijing 2022 made by political dignitaries of many countries and IOC officials. It proves that the Beijing 2022 will be not only a grand sports event, but also a platform demonstrating the solidarity and friendship of mankind.
The 2022 Winter Olympics is a bond linking the hearts of the people around the world.
Pupils at Millburn Primary School in Northern Ireland sang "Meet Me in Beijing," a song that will be played during this year's Olympics opening ceremony in Chinese, as a tribute to Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Two years ago, they also dedicated a Chinese song to the people of China suffering from the COVID-19 outbreak.
A Russian retired medic wrote a song for Beijing Winter Olympics; a South Korean artist made Winter Olympics-themed paintings; a Brazilian girl drew a picture of the Beijing Winter Olympics in her imagination.
In different ways, people have expressed the same aspiration for solidarity and a better future. What they have done embodies the Olympic spirit that transcends national borders.
Sports is a common language of mankind. Nearly 3,000 athletes from around 90 countries and regions are expected to gather in Beijing soon, and some countries will send delegations to the Winter Games for the first time.
Vice secretary general Varin Tansuphasiri of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand believes that winning is not the most important part of the Olympic Games, and what matter are the opportunity for athletes to join the games, and the friendship and peace of mankind.
As Sri Lanka marked the 30-day countdown to the opening of the Beijing 2022, the country's Cabinet Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa noted that the people in his country will embrace the Winter Games and the Olympic spirit together with the rest of the world, though Sri Lanka is a tropical island country that doesn't have many winter sports resources.
Another tropical country Columbia will also send athletes to Beijing. Colombian President Ivan Duque said the Beijing 2022 bears significance for the entire world. To hold the Winter Games amid the pandemic indicates that the world is passionately looking forward to the future, he added.
As the Olympic Flame is once again lighted in Beijing, spreading the light of unity, friendship, peace and justice to the world, the Beijing 2022 will set the stage for athletes to chase their dreams and showcase the solidarity of mankind.
The notion “Together” will definitely have its extraordinary influence at the Beijing 2022, and encourage the world to create a brighter future.
