Sports Has a Message for Politics
体育带给政治的启示
Ambassador Dai Qingli Contributed an Article to the Tribune
驻巴哈马大使戴庆利在巴主流媒体《论坛报》发表署名文章
2022年2月21日
21 February 2022
After 16 days of spectacular sporting events, the Beijing Winter Olympics has drawn to a successful close. During his speech at the closing ceremony, Mr. Thomas Bach, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) spoke in Chinese four times to express his satisfaction with a “truly exceptional” Olympics.
北京冬奥会历经16天的精彩赛事，圆满落下帷幕。国际奥委会主席托马斯·巴赫在闭幕式致辞时四次用中文，对本届“真正无与伦比的冬奥会”表达赞许。
For the nearly 3,000 athletes from 91 countries and their teams, for the 20,000 volunteers, and hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide, Beijing 2022 has been a memorable journey.
冬奥会为来自91个国家和地区的近3000名运动员和代表团成员，近2万名志愿者和全球亿万观众，留下了一段难忘的美好记忆。
Chinese athletes have done well at the Games. For the first time, China rose to third place on the gold medal tally in the Winter Olympics. Yet, the more important and lasting legacy of these Games has been a surge in enthusiasm for ice and snow sports in China. President Xi Jinping’s vision of involving 300 million people in these sports and promoting leap-frogging progress is becoming reality.
中国运动员在本届冬奥会上表现出色，中国首次位列金牌榜前三甲。冬奥会产生的更深远影响，是进一步激发了中国人民对冰雪运动的热情。习近平主席提出的带动三亿人参与冰雪运动，推动中国冰雪运动跨越式发展的愿景已成为现实。
Success of Winter Olympics 2022 has made Beijing a “twin” Olympic city, the first ever in the world to have hosted both a summer and winter Olympics.
北京2022年冬奥会的成功举办，使北京成为世界首个举办过夏季和冬季奥运会的“双奥之城”。
While the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008 dazzled the world with its massive, breath-taking showcase of China’s history and culture, the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics highlighted peace, unity and common humanity in a world ravaged by an unrelenting pandemic.
如果说2008年北京奥运会开幕式通过展现宏大、震撼的中国历史文化场景惊艳了世界，2022年北京冬奥会的开幕式则彰显了疫情肆虐背景下，人类对和平、团结、进步的共同追求。
Yet again in Beijing, China has delivered what it promised to the world: a simple, safe and splendid Olympic Games.
中国又一次兑现承诺，奉献了一届简约、安全、精彩的冬奥会。
With only one fifth of the performers in the opening of the summer games and with the lowest budget in Winter Olympic history for 20 years, the Beijing Winter Olympics has sought to underscore a simple, human touch.
本届冬奥会开幕式的参演人数仅有14年前的五分之一，预算则为20年来历届冬奥会最低，在呈现方式上更加简约、接地气。
At the opening ceremony, the absence of world-famous singers or actors was not felt. The dancing, waving volunteers made the athletes who paraded into the stadium truly welcome. The video of a cute 11-month-old toddler who couldn’t even walk but could skate like he was born into this sport melted the hearts of countless viewers. Children from a remote, mountainous community in Northern China, who learned the song in four weeks’ time, performed the Olympic anthem in Greek.
开幕式上没有知名歌手或演员，并不令人遗憾。欢呼雀跃的志愿者们让参加入场式的运动员们宾至如归。开幕式视频中，一个还不会走路就能自如滑雪的小萌娃，打动了无数观众。经过仅四周的学习，一群来自中国河北偏远山区的孩子们用希腊语演唱了《奥林匹克颂》。
As the centerpiece of the opening ceremony, the snowflake-shaped placards with the names of participating delegations converged to form a giant snowflake aesthetic symbolizing countries coming together in unity.
开幕式上，一朵朵代表参赛国家和地区的“雪花引导牌”汇聚到一起，构成了象征世界团结的大“雪花”。
For viewers who saw images of a former gymnast flying mid-air to light the gigantic main torch during the 2008 games, this torch-lighting ceremony would be a bit underwhelming. The torchbearers simply put the relay torch at the center of the giant snowflake. This was an energy saving move considering the 5,000 cubic meters of gas that the main torch in 2008 burned per hour.
对于见证过北京2008年奥运会开幕式主火炬点燃仪式的观众来说，本届冬奥会的点火仪式可能略显低调。2008年，中国前体操运动员在半空中点燃主火炬时，烈焰腾空。此次冬奥会，火炬手仅仅把接力用的火炬放到“大雪花”的中心就完成了点火仪式。其实，这恰是本届冬奥会一个精妙的节能举措。2008年奥运会主火炬每小时要消耗5000立方米的天然气。
Every effort is made to reflect China’s commitment to green development. For the first time in Olympic history, Beijing achieved 100 percent green electricity supply from solar and wind for all venues. Enormous research went into making the torch used in the under-water torch-relay between two robots smokeless and pollution-free.
冬奥会处处彰显出中国对绿色发展的坚定承诺。本届冬奥会历史上第一次实现了所有场馆100%依靠可再生能源供电。机器人水下传递冬奥火炬时，使用了无烟火炬，清洁无污染，更展现了本届冬奥的科技含量。
Beijing introduced independently developed technologies such as carbon dioxide transcritical direct cooling ice machine system that has close to zero emissions and more efficient snow-making and storage techniques.
北京冬奥会还使用了许多中国自主研发或首次大规模应用的技术，如人工制雪和储雪技术及碳排放接近于零的二氧化碳跨临界直冷制冰系统。
Sci-tech innovations such as a super large 8K ultra-high-definition ground display system was used to provide breathtaking visual effects.
开幕式上面积达1万平方米的8K超高清地面显示系统等科技创新，呈现了惊人的视觉效果。
One of the biggest favorites for reporters had to be the “smart canteen”, where robot chefs made Chinese and Western food and drinks from fried rice to hamburgers and cocktails. Journalists could order from their cell phones and have the meals delivered to their tables through a computer-controlled “sky track” embedded in the ceiling. A total of 678 different dishes were served, one third of which were Chinese. At the peak times, hundreds of kilograms of Jiaozi or dumplings were consumed daily. Many athletes happily shared photos of their favorite food on social media.
冬奥会期间，记者们的最爱之一就是机器人智能餐厅。机器人厨师精心制作从煲仔饭到汉堡包等中、西菜肴以及鸡尾酒等饮品。记者们只需通过手机点餐，安装在餐厅天花板上的云轨小车就会在系统智能调度下，让美食“从天而降”。北京冬奥村为运动员们准备了总计678道菜品的食谱，其中三分之一是中餐。用餐高峰期，冬奥村每天要消耗上百公斤的饺子。很多运动员在社交媒体上愉快地分享他们最爱的菜肴。
Stringent pandemic control measures jointly formulated by the IOC and the Beijing Organizing Committee were enforced to protect the athletes and everyone else in the closed-loop from infection.
国际奥委会和北京冬奥组委共同制定了严格的疫情防控措施，保护运动员和所有闭环内人员免受感染。
Yet crowning it all has to be the performance of athletes themselves. Beijing has left an unforgettable sporting legacy. 18-year-old Eileen Gu, born to an American father and Chinese mother, grew up in the US but has chosen to compete on behalf of China since 2019. Claiming 3 medals with big air and halfpipe gold, and slopestyle silver, she became an inspiration for sports fans across China.
当然，冬奥会最引人注目的还是运动员们的精彩表现，这是本届冬奥会最难忘的体育遗产。中国队18岁的滑雪小将谷爱凌，父亲是美国人、母亲是中国人，她从小在美国长大，但代表中国参赛。在本届冬奥会女子自由式滑雪大跳台、U型池技巧和坡面障碍技巧3项比赛中，她夺得2金1银，成为许多中国体育迷的偶像。
Eileen’s childhood pal Su Yiming, who just turned 18 on Feb 18th, became China’s youngest Winter Olympic champion with a gold in men’s big air. And China’s figure skating pair won the gold medal after 15 years of hard work overcoming numerous injuries and disappointments.
谷爱凌的“发小”苏翊鸣“一鸣惊人”，夺得男子单板滑雪大跳台金牌，成为中国冬奥史上最年轻的冠军。他2月18日刚刚迎来18岁生日。中国花样滑冰双人组合隋文静/韩聪经过15年的努力，克服伤病等诸多困扰，终于圆梦北京。
The less fortunate Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who attempted and failed in the quadruple axel, and US snowboarding legend Shaun White, who fell down at the final ride of his farewell competition, won loud cheers from the spectators.
也有一些选手运气欠佳。日本花样滑冰选手羽生结弦未能成功挑战阿克塞尔四周跳。美国单板滑雪传奇肖恩·怀特在运动员生涯告别赛中不幸摔倒。他们虽然未能如愿以偿，但依然赢得了全体观众的掌声和敬意。
Another big story was about a Chinese snowboarder, who quit his job at a bakery to start his solo Olympic journey. Although he failed to qualify for the Games, he never regretted his decision.
本届冬奥会中，一名中国单板滑雪运动员的故事引起了注意。他为了自己的奥运梦想辞去了面包师的工作，并开启了一个人的奥运之旅。虽然没能获得参赛资格，但他从未后悔自己的决定。
There were also 39 athletes from 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries, a record number for this region. Even Haiti sent its athlete.
来自拉美和加勒比地区共10个国家的39名运动员参加了本届冬奥会，参赛国数量创历史新高。海地也派出了运动员参赛，这是该国首次亮相冬奥会。
All these athletes, who challenged human capacity to the limits, are the real heroes of the Beijing Olympics. Even those, who did not fulfil their dreams, never fail to uplift us. And the scenes of athletes and coaches from different countries cheering for, congratulating and comforting each other brought tears to many eyes.
这些尽最大努力挑战人类极限的运动员，是北京冬奥会真正的英雄。即使有些人未能实现梦想，但他们的精神依然鼓舞着我们。不同国籍运动员和教练员为彼此欢呼、祝贺和相互安慰的场面，更让无数观众热泪盈眶。
Beyond the closed-loop in Beijing, global geopolitics was still fast evolving. An issue was made out of the absence of some politicians at the Beijing Games. And there was persistent concern about the situation in Ukraine.
北京冬奥会的闭环之外，全球地缘政治仍在快速演变。个别政客鼓吹外交抵制北京冬奥会，乌克兰的局势也受到关注。
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China’s GDP was only one third of that of America’s, while now it’s 77%. China-US relations have also gone from “summer” to “winter” during this time. As a former British minister recently said, the core of the problem in many ways is an inability to get used to the basic fact (of China’s rise), and to adapt to it.
北京2008年举办奥运会时，中国的GDP只有美国的三分之一，现在则上升到了美国的77%。中美关系也经历了从夏到冬的曲折变化。正如最近一位英国前大臣所言，美中出现问题的核心在于美国无法接受和适应中国崛起这一基本事实。
Not surprisingly, there has been jarring voices to make the Beijing Olympics a target of attack against China. Some used issues such as human rights to slander China. Others even tried to draw some connection between the Winter Olympics and the situation in Ukraine by distorting China’s position.
毫不意外的是，始终有部分刺耳的声音在干扰北京冬奥会并借机攻击抹黑中国。一些人利用人权等问题诬蔑中国，还有人试图将冬奥会与乌克兰局势相联系，并歪曲中国在乌克兰问题上的立场。
Like the CARICOM, China calls for respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. Like CARICOM, China supports a peaceful and negotiated solution. We call on all parties to honor their responsibilities and work to preserve peace, rather than playing up tension and spreading panic.
关于乌克兰问题，中国同加共体一样，都主张尊重和维护主权、独立和领土完整，都支持通过对话协商解决问题。我们呼吁各方切实负起责任，为和平而努力，而不是一味加剧紧张、制造恐慌，甚至渲染战争。
For the Beijing Olympics, no amount of pathetic side-tracking by a few has either stole the show from the athletes or dented the joy and excitement brought by sports, which is far too powerful to be made subservient to an unjust political agenda.
关于北京冬奥会的个别杂音既抢不了运动员们的风头，也夺不走体育带给人们的快乐和激动。体育的魅力完全超越了别有用心的政治议程。
“It’s their loss, they are never going to win the Olympics”, said Eileen Gu of those who vehemently denounced her “betrayal” of the country who raised and trained her, “Sports is a way to unite people not to divide people. My mission is to use sports as a force for unity, as a form to foster interconnection between countries, not to use it as a divisive force. That benefits everyone.”
谷爱凌在回应少数美国人指责她“背叛”了养育她的国家时表示：“这是他们的损失，他们永远成不了奥运冠军。体育是团结的力量，不是制造分裂的手段；我的任务是让体育成为各国间团结沟通的纽带。这符合所有人的利益。”
This 18-year-old girl has something serious for those politicians and commentators. If we want to make our world a better place in the post-covid era, we’d better heed her message.
这个18岁女孩的话足以令少数存心炒作的政客和“大嘴”们汗颜。如果人们希望后疫情时代的世界更加美好的话，政治最好倾听体育的声音。