The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (Beijing 2022) held a welcome ceremony for the Olympic flame, which arrived from Greece on Wednesday, at the Beijing Olympic Tower located in the Chinese capital. The Organising Committee also announced their Olympic Torch Relay plans.
The lighting of the Olympic flame took place on Monday in Ancient Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games and the flame was handed over to Beijing 2022 on Tuesday at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens by the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
On Wednesday, the Olympic flame was transported to China in a newly released safety lantern, inspired by an ancient Chinese lamp called "Changxin", meaning light and hope.
At the ceremony, the flame was taken from the lantern and was used to light a Beijing 2022 Olympic torch. Cai Qi, president of Beijing 2022 then used the torch to ignite the Beijing 2022 Olympic celebration cauldron on the podium. This momentous occasion was watched by participants from Beijing and Hebei Provinces.
Zhang Jiandong, Executive Vice-President of Beijing2022 announced Beijing 2022's Olympic Torch Relay plans, which are in line with the goal of holding a concise, safe and exciting Olympic Winter Games.
According to Zhang, the Beijing 2022 Olympic Torch Relay will be conducted in a traditional format in the three competition areas, as well as through creative methods via the internet, where people can share information about the Games through Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, online quizzes and others.
The traditional relay is scheduled from February 2 to 4 next year with the participation of about 1,200 torchbearers. The three host zones of the Games Beijing's city proper, Beijing's Yanqing District and the city of Zhangjiakou in the neighboring Hebei Province will welcome this traditional relay.
The Olympic flame will also be displayed at the sites of some Beijing 2022 TOP and local official partners, as well travel to different areas of the country known for their plentiful ice and snow resources with a strong history and culture of ice and snow sports.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to reduce the traditional relay route length and duration, reduce the number of torchbearers, and to strictly follow the pandemic prevention and control requirements.
Wang Xiangyu, Deputy Director General of the Beijing 2022 Culture and Ceremonies Department said that these measures will ensure that the relay activities and Beijing 2022 Games are held in a safe and orderly manner.
After the ceremony, the Olympic flame was placed back into the lantern and escorted to the top hall of the Beijing Olympic Tower. From Wednesday, it will be on display to the public.
"Through the unique formats and methods with Chinese characteristics, we hope that people all over the world can experience China's vibrant sports culture and appreciate the enthusiasm of every Chinese person to participate in and support the Olympic Games," Wang said.
During Wednesday's welcome ceremony, the Olympic flame celebration cauldron drew great attention. Inspired by a Chinese traditional bronze ritual vessel – Zun, it is decorated with the lines of auspicious clouds gradually changing into snowflakes, representing the heritage of the "Dual Olympics".
Released on the same day are the Torch Relay emblem and the uniforms for the torchbearers.
The Torch Relay emblem has the Gold Fenix and Fire lines from Chinese traditional culture with auspicious meanings. The torchbearers' uniform has Chinese red on the while base and yellow decoration, showing the passion and happiness of the relay.
The Olympic flame will pass on the Olympic spirits in China, promote the Olympic ideals and be an important forerunner for the Olympic Games.