The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 are going on in full swing. Has this international sports event added new feathers to the crown of success of the People's Republic of China? All eyes are now on China.
The People's Republic of China was born in 1949 through the Great Socialist Revolution. The third largest country in the world has since gone through many economic crises and struggles. Being a communist country, they had to endure a lot of negligence and ridicule in the western world. In the seventies and eighties, China gradually overcame the economic crisis and moved forward.
From the beginning of the new millennium, the rise of China has been noticed by the world. Last year, China was able to lift its huge population out of poverty.
This year's Winter Olympics are going on in Beijing. Earlier, the 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Beijing. Since then, Beijing has been the only city to host two Olympic Games. By hosting the Olympics for the second time, China is going to have recognition of their capabilities and achievements. Why is China organizing this?
Xi Jinping, the current president of China and the top leader of the Chinese Communist Party thinks the event will inspire the whole nation. He made the remarks during a recent meeting with Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He said that the success of the Olympics is invigorating the whole nation. The Beijing Olympics is the culmination of six years of hard work and preparation. Three hundred million people are attending the Olympics.
Such a massive arrangement during the Covid-19 pandemic is a huge challenge; which China is dealing with quite good effort. Another reason behind this is that China has snow and ice covered lands. But what is meant by snow and ice sports, such as skiing, snow skating, sledding, is considered to be the exclusive sport of snow in the western world.
People from all over the world choose Switzerland to enjoy skiing. But the resources that China have are being proved through this event. With the Winter Olympics looming, Chinese tourists and locals are all drawn to the sport of snow. Snow resorts in China have become very popular since the announcement of the Winter Olympics in China.
Xi Jinping said, "China's clear water and high mountains are our invaluable resources. Now our snow and ice have also become invaluable assets, as they have enriched our winter sports industry. It doesn't matter to me how many gold medals Chinese athletes won at the Winter Olympics, but the way the Olympics have awakened our whole nation is very important to me.
With 300 million people taking part in this year's Beijing Games, it has multiplied the strength of our sport." On the other hand, the Olympic Committee is also very satisfied with the organization of China.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), expressed his satisfaction over the meeting with the Chinese President. The President of the International Olympic Committee said, "I congratulate you, President, on this wonderful event. Preparations have been completed as planned, involving 300 million Chinese citizens in the Winter Olympics. China is now the land of the Winter Games. And through these Olympic Games, China has opened the door to new possibilities for the Winter Games for the world."
China is now an economic superpower. China's GDP now stands at 18 trillion dollar. Last year, China's gross domestic product reached 144.4 trillion yuan (18 trillion dollar). According to the country's National Bureau of Statistics, GDP grew at an annual rate of 8.1 percent, or about 13 trillion yuan (2 trillion dollar). Bureau officials say the growth in the Covid-19 situation also proves that China has overcome the superficial effect and become stronger.
"China, the world's second-largest economy, will contribute more than 16 percent to the global economy in 2021," Bureau Chief Ning Zhija told a recent news conference in Beijing.
Along with the success of the economy, China is also advancing in science. The country is conducting one space mission after another. China has also set up a space station.
Last year, 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. In the second century, their goal was to build a ‘Xiaokang’society which means achieving moderate prosperity. At the same time, President Xi Jinping and the old and young comrades of the Communist Party are working with the common people to take China forward on the path of prosperity as a modern socialist country.
In such a scenario, the success of the Winter Olympics will add new gems to China's crown. It remains to be seen how much more China can use the Olympic Games to brighten its image before the world.
Shanta Maria is a writer and journalist