浙侨英频 ?Beijing 2022 closes with great fanfare

发布时间：2022-02-22

Fireworks light up the stadium during the closing ceremony, which featured artistic performances and athlete parades. Beijing has made history as the first city ever to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympics. LI HEXINHUA

 

China hailed for hosting safe, outstanding Winter Olympics that show 'unifying power' of sports

With the Olympic flame extinguished following a farewell party, Beijing capped the 2022 Olympic Winter Games to resounding global acclaim on Sunday for bringing the world together through the power of sports at a challenging time.

As the first major international sporting event held on schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Winter Games concluded in a memorable way after International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach declared its closing, witnessed by President Xi Jinping at the iconic National Stadium in Beijing on Sunday night.

The closing ceremony, which featured artistic performances and athlete parades, brought the curtain down on an extensive display of thrilling sports action, friendship and mutual respect among 2,877 athletes from 91 national and regional Olympic committees at safe and well-organized Games, despite unprecedented challenges amid the pandemic.

During 19 days of outstanding performances on the ice and snow, 17 Olympic records, including two world records, were broken, while gold medals were awarded in a record number of 109 events at the most gender-balanced Winter Games to date, where 45 percent of athletes were female.

Highlighted by breakthroughs in snow sports, the host delegation bagged a national record haul of 15 medals, including nine gold, to finish third in the gold medal standings, its highest ever since China's Winter Olympics debut at the 1980 Lake Placid Games in the United States.

With the world facing common challenges such as the rampaging Omicron variant of coronavirus and geopolitical tensions, the Chinese organizers' relentless efforts to set up an equal stage for athletes to compete fiercely, yet live in peace and respect under one roof in a safe environment, earned appreciation from around the world.

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, Bach said during the closing ceremony. This unifying power of the Olympic Games is stronger than the forces that want to divide us.

The Olympic spirit could only shine so brightly because the Chinese people set the stage in such an excellent and safe way, he added. Our deepest thanks and gratitude go to the organizing committee, the public authorities and all our Chinese partners and friends. On behalf of the best winter sport athletes of the world, I say Thank you, our Chinese friends.

With the successful delivery of the 2022 Games, Beijing has made history as the first city ever to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympics.

Cai Qi, president of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee and secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, said, The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 opens a new era for winter sports. It is yet another extraordinary example of humanity coming together for a shared future. The Olympic spirit will live on forever.

The event's closed-loop management, which required all Games participants to move only between their designated accommodation facilities and competition, training and working venues via official transportation that kept them separated from local communities, proved sound and effective. It kept athletes safe within the loop while preventing any imported cases from spreading to the outside public, paving the way for hosting more major international events safely even with the pandemic remaining.

It was one of the safest places on the planet, if not the safest place, and this is a great achievement, Bach said of the Winter Games' closed loop at a news conference on Friday.

Although entering China with concerns about the strict COVID-19 protocols, many athletes have hailed their stay in Beijing as a reassuring experience that helped them focus on the competition.

I've had an opportunity to speak with some athletes, and their experiences to date have been tremendous, said Rick Adams, the US delegation's chef de mission, during the Games. The care which has been taken around the most important thing, the health and safety of the athletes and the entire delegation, has been very impressive.

Despite challenging circumstances, the host's warm hospitality, caring services at the Olympic Villages, exposure to Chinese culture during Spring Festival and traditional Chinese food impressed international athletes, prompting them to post viral videos on social media documenting their stays in Beijing and co-host city Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

From what I've experienced so far, China has a wonderful culture, Canadian Olympic champion curler John Morris said after a mixed double curling game. They're very friendly, very respectful, and they've been great to us.

The cheerful atmosphere during the athletes' parade into the closing ceremony, where Olympians, regardless of their different uniforms, all danced and celebrated to the same beat of Beethoven's Ode to Joy, turned the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, into a lively party despite the wintry chill.

According to the traditional protocol of such closing ceremonies, Chen Jining, the mayor of Beijing, handed the Olympic flag to IOC President Bach, who passed it to the mayors of the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, to raise the curtain on the next Winter Olympic Games, which will be hosted by Italy in 2026.

 

【背景阅读】

第二十四届冬季奥林匹克运动会在北京圆满闭幕 习近平出席闭幕式

第二十四届冬季奥林匹克运动会闭幕式2月20日晚在国家体育场隆重举行。习近平、李克强、栗战书、汪洋、王沪宁、赵乐际、韩正、王岐山等党和国家领导人，国际奥委会主席巴赫出席闭幕式。

从2008年百年奥运梦圆，到2022年与奥林匹克运动再度携手，北京成为历史上首座“双奥之城”。过去16天，北京见证竞技体育的荣耀与梦想，凝聚人类社会的团结与友谊。五环旗下，来自91个国家和地区的近3000名运动员奋力拼搏、挑战极限、超越自我，刷新了2项世界纪录和17项冬奥会纪录，奏响“更快、更高、更强——更团结”的华彩乐章。中国克服疫情影响，为举办一届简约、安全、精彩的冬奥会付出巨大努力，一流的比赛场馆设施，出色的组织服务工作，赢得了奥林匹克大家庭和国际社会的广泛好评。中国代表团以9金4银2铜刷新了单届冬奥会获金牌数和奖牌数两项纪录，名列金牌榜第3位，创造了自1980年参加冬奥会以来的历史最好成绩。

夜幕下的国家体育场流光溢彩、气氛热烈。

在《和平——命运共同体》的乐曲声中，习近平和夫人彭丽媛同巴赫等走上主席台，向观众挥手致意。全场响起热烈掌声。

20时整，闭幕式开场表演《点亮》开始了。孩子们手提雪花花灯，以元宵节闹花灯的传统，点亮了场地上的“冬”字会徽。

全体起立，在雄壮的中华人民共和国国歌声中，鲜艳的五星红旗冉冉升起。

场地上出现了巨大的中国结图案，旗手们手持参加本届冬奥会的91个代表团旗帜步入场内。《欢乐颂》经典乐曲响起，运动员代表入场，全场观众用掌声和欢呼声，向体育健儿们表达热烈的祝贺和由衷的敬意。

大屏幕播放短片《2022，有我！》，再现运动员们奋勇拼搏、激情飞扬的精彩瞬间。随后，为越野滑雪女子30公里集体出发（自由技术）项目和越野滑雪男子50公里集体出发（自由技术）项目的获奖运动员颁奖。

一张张志愿者真诚的笑脸在大屏幕上不断呈现。新当选的国际奥委会运动员委员会委员代表全体运动员，向6名志愿者代表致敬，表达对广大志愿者的诚挚谢意。2008年北京奥运会开创了“向志愿者致敬”这一环节，并从此成为奥运会闭幕式上的传统。本届冬奥会期间，数万名志愿者热情服务、辛勤付出，赢得了普遍赞誉。

大屏幕播放国际奥委会短片《信念的力量》，生动展现了“更快、更高、更强——更团结”的奥林匹克精神。

盛会即将结束，又到了分别的时刻。中国古人常折柳送别，寄托思念之情。365名各行各业、不同年龄的普通人手捧柳枝聚在场地中央，代表一年365天的思念。白色的光束从场地中央亮起，形成一座光的丰碑，承托起主火炬“大雪花”。大屏幕播放短片《2022，有我们！》，记录下冬奥会一个个温暖人心的场景。

随后，举行了升希腊国旗、奏希腊国歌仪式。

来自河北阜平山区的孩子们再一次唱响奥林匹克会歌，奥林匹克会旗在歌声中徐徐降下。

奥林匹克会旗交接仪式开始。北京市市长陈吉宁挥动五环旗，然后交给国际奥委会主席巴赫。巴赫将会旗交给下届冬奥会主办城市意大利米兰市市长萨拉和科尔蒂纳丹佩佐市市长盖迪纳。

现场奏响意大利国歌，升起意大利国旗。米兰市和科尔蒂纳丹佩佐市带来了精彩的文艺表演《双城璧合·聚力联辉》。

随后，北京冬奥组委主席蔡奇致辞说，在这令人难忘的16个日子里，来自世界各地的运动健儿闪耀赛场，展现体育魅力，诠释了“更快、更高、更强——更团结”的奥林匹克格言。奥林匹克大家庭成员团结协作，各媒体精心转播报道，向全球呈现了北京冬奥会赛场内外每个精彩瞬间。感谢所有参与、支持和奉献北京冬奥会的朋友们，你们同样体现了冬奥的精彩。“双奥之城”，非凡冬奥。北京冬奥会开启了全球冰雪运动新时代，让我们记住这段难忘的冬奥时光，携手开创人类更加美好的未来。

国际奥委会主席巴赫致辞。他说，本届冬奥会奥运村独具匠心，场馆令人叹为观止，组织工作非凡卓越。我们要向北京冬奥组委、中国政府部门以及我们在中国的所有合作伙伴和朋友们致以最诚挚的谢意。这是一届真正无与伦比的冬奥会，我们欢迎中国成为冰雪运动大国。最后，巴赫宣布第二十四届冬奥会闭幕，并号召全世界青年4年后在米兰和科尔蒂纳丹佩佐相聚，参加第二十五届冬奥会。

大屏幕播放短片《再见！一起向未来！》，在本届冬奥会即将结束的时刻，定格下中国人民同世界各地来宾依依惜别的情谊。

21时35分，2008年北京奥运会主题歌《我和你》再次响起，闪闪发光的奥运五环从场地中央升起。主火炬“大雪花”缓缓落下，在纯洁空灵的《雪花》歌声中，燃烧了16天的奥运之火渐渐熄灭。

盛大焰火腾空而起，在体育场上空呈现出五环形状、“天下一家”中英文字样，歌声、掌声、欢呼声响彻云霄，国家体育场成了欢乐的海洋。

在京中共中央政治局委员、中央书记处书记，全国人大常委会副委员长，国务委员，最高人民法院院长，最高人民检察院检察长，在京全国政协副主席以及中央军委委员出席闭幕式。

国际奥林匹克委员会负责人等出席闭幕式。

 

来源新华社