Beijing 2022: Moment to embrace peace and friendship.

Published: February 10,2022

By Gerald Mbanda

It was a tight competition between Fan Suyuan and Ling Zhi from China playing against Christopher Plysand Vicky Persinger of the United States in the curling mixed doubles round robin game. The United pair beat China 7-5. Instead of feeling sad and outcompeted, the Chinese competitors surprised millions of people who were watching Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. 

Despite losing, they decided to take the challenge with a light heat of love and friendship. Fan and Ling decided to give their American competitors a gift of pin badges featuring Bing Dwen Dwen, the panda mascot of the Games. Their smiles in the photo tell it all. This was the best sportsmanship spirit. The spectacular opening of the Beijing 2022 Olympics beamed to the world the Chinese Culture. Fan and Ling added more Chinese culture recipe for love and friendship.

The American athletes Christopher and Vicky also gave their Chinese competitors some pins and promised to add something more.   Ling said he would like to invite Christopher to his hometown of Harbin in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. This is now a story of competitors turned great friends! How nice it would be if politicians also emulated the sportsmanship spirit!  

When the US administration called for the diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022 Olympic Games and tried to convince other western countries to do the same, this did not stop other world leaders to fly to Beijing. Leaders of 22 nations attended, as well as the leaders of several international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Health Organizationwere in Beijing for the opening ceremony making the event a very big success.

The example given by Fan Suyuan and Ling Zhi and their American competitors Christopher Plys and Vicky Persinger, sends a strong message to the administration in Washington. First of all, that when you are competitors you do not have to be enemies whether in athletics, politics or business. Secondly, politics must be kept out of Olympic Games and instead embrace friendship, solidarity, peace and enhamce people to people diplomacy. Beijing 2022 is about love, friendship, working together and collectively celebrating humanity’s talents. 

When Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, PengLiyuan, hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People to welcome distinguished guests from all over the world to the Beijing 2022,  he reminded the visitor to keep in mind the original spirit of the Olympic movement.  “We shall keep in mind the original aspiration of the Olympic Movement and jointly uphold world peace. The Olympic Movement was born for the sake of peace and has thrived thanks to peace,” Xi said.

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in his speech at the opening of the Beijing 2022, said that, “In this Olympic spirit of peace, I appeal to all political authorities across the world: observe your commitment to this Olympic truce. Give peace a chance.” This call for world peace complements this year’s theme of the Olympics, “Together for a Shared Future.”

Thank you Fan Suyuan, Ling Zhi, Christopher Plys and Vicky Persinger for showing the world that you are good ambassadors of peace and friendship.  You gave homework to political actors to embrace peace for peaceful coexistence.

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