Keeping the Olympic spirit alive: Gen Zers from across the world share their views on the Games in the latest episode of Youth Power by China Daily

BEIJING, Feb. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Beijing Winter Olympics has come to an end, but the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games will soon start as scheduled. On the evening of February 28, episode nine of Youth Power, hosted by China Daily, broadcast and in it Chinese and foreign Gen Zers from Belarus, China, France, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, Spain and the United States talked of their thoughts and aspirations relating to the Games and to the Olympic spirit.

The topic of this episode of Youth Power is "Keeping the Olympic Spirit Alive: Generation Z's Splendid Journey through the Winter Olympics".

Zhang Jiahao, a commentator during the Winter Games in Beijing, also talked of rising to challenges. "Gu did a 1620 at the end of the Big Air event. I believe this isn't just a matter of winning a medal, but also about the spirit of sports and the spirit of making breakthroughs, so she completed the move she wanted and won gold."

Mai Jiaxin, a Chinese-Portuguese woman from Macao, China, said she gained strength and inspiration from the Chinese athlete Gu Ailing. "Sometimes when we are faced with fear, we can't control that fear, which overcomes us, and all we can do is bravely face it."

Yuan Qingpan, a reporter for China Daily, was stationed at the Winter Olympic Village to gather and edit news material. He said that the most impressive Olympic moment for him was the victory of the Chinese aerial skier Xu Mengtao. He said: "She worked so hard over 12 years spanning four Olympic Games to take home a medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics." This spirit echoed a Chinese saying: "Although the situation is difficult, we should be more firm in moral integrity and never abandon our ambition; although we grow old, we should be more ambitious. How should we change our mood when we grow old?"

In addition to the amazing performances of the athletes, Gen Zers were impressed by the technology used at the Games. Deng Yue, a post-1995 student at Tsinghua University, was an intern in the Planning and Construction Department of the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee. In her speech for Youth Power she said the Beijing Winter Olympics was a remarkable presentation that pursued perfection. "During construction we needed to give equal consideration to aesthetics and functionality."

Ekaterina Kaligaeva of Belarus and Muhammad Wasim Asim of Pakistan, both international students at Tsinghua University, said they were impressed by the large screen smart TVs and fully automated restaurants at the Beijing Winter Olympic venues. Kaligaeva said that for those who had been studying and living in China, it was a part of their daily life. "This kind of technology can be seen everywhere in China."

Many Gen Zers worked hard in the closed-loop system of the Winter Olympics and at their various volunteer positions. Temelidi Yulia, a Russian studying at Tsinghua University, and who served as an assistant to a foreign liaison VIP at the Winter Olympics. Though the volunteer work was hard and challenging, when she heard the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach thank all the volunteers for their dedication and hard work, she said, with tears in her eyes: "The Beijing Winter Olympic Games brought me the most profound award and the most glorious medal as a foreign volunteer."

By last October 346 million people in China has taken part in winter sports, and that will be one of the biggest legacies of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In this episode of Youth Power the skier Zhang Jiahao said skiing had changed his life. "Looking back all these years, it was skiing that enabled me to a ride on a plane for the first time, take the train and high-speed railway for the first time, and also see the ocean for the first time."

The program host Zhong Yutong says: "Sometimes we may feel unimportant, sometimes we may feel as though we are alone on an island. On the contrary, we have unlimited energy, we are closely connected with each other, and we are not alone. This is consistent with the Olympic spirit.

Beijing Paralympic Winter Games is around the corner. The sounds of spring from the Beijing Winter Olympics will continue to be heard at the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, encouraging Generation Z all around the world to create a better future together.

Youth Power is a new online program with Generation Z from China and abroad that aims to build a new platform for global communication and exchange between Gen Zers and with others. Visit the website https://youthpower.i21st.cn/ to know more.

For more information contact:
Dana Yuan
+86-13264199228
yuandan@21stcentury.com.cn

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