Beijing is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially the XXIV Olympic Winter Games and also known as Beijing 2022, are an upcoming international winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place from February4 to 20, 2022 in Beijing and towns in the neighboring Hebei province in the People’s Republic of China.
Beijing which hosted Olympic Games in 2008 has continues the legacy in Winter sports 2022.
The Olympic flame passed to Beijing 2022 at historic ceremony in Athens is to arrive in host city today October 20.
The Olympic torch is an iconic part of any Games, with each competition providing their own unique touch to the design. The torch for Beijing 2022-bearing the Name ‘Flying’ (飞扬 Fei Yang)-is no exception. The design of the 2022 torch honours the Olympic legacy in the Chinese capital by featuring a similar design to the cauldron of the 2008 Olympic Games which looked like a giant scroll.
The design of the torch is full of dynamism and vitality, with a spiral construction that resembles a fluttering ribbon where the Olympic flame sits.
The emblem of Beijing 2022 sits on the mid-section of the torch, while the whirling red line on its body represents the winding Great Wall, the skiing courses at the Games, and mankind’s relentless pursuit of light, peace, and excellence.
The use of red and silver as primary colours for the torch are metaphors of ice and fire, meant to symbolize how the torch will bring ‘light and warmth to the world of ice and snow’.
The colour choice for the torch, as well as the cloud patterns covering its handle, are a nod to elements of the 2008 torch, according to its designer Li Jianye.
“By using the same colour combination and by sharing similar artistic elements with the 2008 torch, we aim to extend auspicious greetings to the world as we did at the Summer Games and to showcase Beijing’s rich Olympic culture,” Li said.
A unique feature of the torch will be on display during the Olympic Torch Relay, as torchbearers will be able to exchange the flame by interlocking the two torches via the ‘ribbon’ construction, symbolizing Beijing 2022’s vision to ‘promote mutual understanding and respect between different cultures’.
Made of carbon-fibre materials, the torch is light, resistant to high temperatures, and is primarily fueled by hydrogen (and thus is emission-free) – which is in keeping with the Beijing Organizing Committee’s endeavour to stage a ‘green and high-tech Games’.
Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou played the role of high priestess as she lit a torch from the rays of the sun using a parabolic mirror, with the Olympic flame eventually passing to Greek Alpine skier Ioannis Antoniou, the first torchbearer for the simplified relay.
The final design was selected from 182 entries in a global competition.
“The Olympic Games cannot address all the challenges in our world. But the Olympic Games set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another. They inspire us to solve problems in friendship and solidarity. They build bridges leading to better understanding and friendship among people. This is the timeless message that this Olympic flame will send from our spiritual home here in Ancient Olympia, to Beijing, and to the world.”
(All Pictures from Olympic Games)
