Breaking Boundaries and Setting Records

By Emily Aspinall

The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 officially launched on February 4， with Beijing hosting this year’s edition. With a total of 109 medal events across 15 disciplines， athletes from around the world gathered to compete in a mix of sports including bobsleigh， curling， skating， skiing and more. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic， it proved an inspiring event， bringing hope to the many watching this year’s Games unfold as nations came together in solidarity.

Over the years， Olympic opening ceremonies have gone bigger and bolder， with the host city often breaking visual boundaries to impress a global audience. This year’s Winter Olympics kicked off at the Bird’s Nest （the National Stadium） and the ceremony， directed by the renowned Zhang Yimou， was a sensory thrill for viewers， including light displays， music and fireworks. Particularly striking were the performers creating a flower display using their bodies； carrying long， neon green stalks， the dancers formed a circle to signify a dandelion. Eventually， the stalks turned white and floated high up into the air， as fireworks burst into action to spell out the word “spring，” lighting up the Beijing sky.

I was interested to learn more about the exact locations of this year’s Games， having visited Beijing several times before. The Olympics are being held across three zones： downtown Beijing， where the opening and closing ceremonies are set； Yanqing District， a mountainous area which hosts skiing and sliding events； and， to the northwest of the capital， Zhangjiakou City in Hebei Province， which hosts freestyle skiing events， among others.

The Winter Olympics are a massive undertaking， with international athletes flying in from all over. However， Beijing is one wellprepared host， and given it’s the first dual host in modern Olympic history， the city boasts the experience to prepare itself for such a mammoth event.

A number of athletes have risen to Olympic fame in the past month， including 18-year-old freestyle skier Gu Ailing （Eileen Gu）. She jumped off the ramp on February 8， before twisting， turning and landing， bagging a gold medal. The technical lingo for Gu’s jump is a 1620 （four and a half rotations in the air）. Her competitor， France’s Tess Ledeux， landed with one ski in the air on her final run， finishing a close second after an incredible performance and a nail-biting finish. Ledeux looked noticeably disappointed after the outcome， sitting in the snow looking rather deflated. A moment of true sportsmanship was when Gu and bronze medalist Mathilde Gremaud （Switzerland） walked over and comforted her， as the three women seemed to support each other.

Gu’s gold medal held great significance as she became the first-ever Chinese woman to win this Olympic title in a snow event. Born to a Chinese mother and American father， Gu grew up between both countries， speaking fluent English and standard Chinese. In 2019， she made the decision to represent China in the Olympics writing on her Instagram at the time， “Through skiing， I hope to unite people， promote common understanding， create communication， and forge friendships between nations，” Gu continued，“If I can help inspire one young girl to break a boundary， my wishes will have come true.”I’m sure her victory will inspire young athletes all around the world.

Interestingly， Beijing 2022 set records in other ways， too. This year， more women are competing than ever before in a Winter Games. More than 45 percent of the athletes are women， 4 percentage points more than in 2018. Moreover， this edition is the first ever Winter Games to feature mixed men’s and women’s events， including snowboard cross， team ski jumping and short track speed skating relays.

It’s great to see some Olympic evolution and notice that the Games are moving with the times. These Winter Olympics prove that， against all odds， resilience and hard work will always prosper. And break boundaries. BR