Snowflake, which is to hold the flame, takes shape.
By Philip Barker
Ceremony Director Zhang Yimou had been promised that the Flame for Beijing would be lit in “unprecedented” fashion and so it proved.
For the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a “micro” Flame burned in Beijing and that was a deliberate choice to respect the environment.
The choice of Uyghur cross country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang as one of the final Torch Bearers in the stadium was however widely criticised by human rights groups,
It attracted a great deal of attention in the Western press, though apparently mystified the Chinese authorities that it had provoked such a hostile reaction.
Coverage in the domestic Chinese media was largely uncritical.
The Chinese government’s policy towards the Uyghur and other minorities had been under the spotlight in the months before the Games and it seemed that the choice had not been made by chance especially as the preceding bearers had been medallists or champions.
“We wanted to select athletes that were born in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and after 2000,” explained Chang Yu, director general for the department of Opening and Closing Ceremonies at Beijing 2022, claiming that this was an important part of the Chinese tradition”.
The term cauldron was a misnomer for the place where the Flame finally came to rest.
It was in fact placed in a “Large Snowflake,” a receptacle which had been assembled during the ceremony from the name placards carried in front of each team as they entered the stadium.
“The snowflakes constituent parts are made of every placard with the names of all participating National Olympic Committees.” said organisers.
It was framed by calligraphic Olive branches “symbolising all people living in peace and harmony.”
The idea was a variation on that seen at London 2012 where the cauldron was made of “petals” carried to accompany each team.
As the Bird’s Nest Stadium was used only for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in 2022, the Flame found a home in an identical snowflake positioned outside the stadium close to the Medals Plaza where the nightly medals ceremonies took place.
It had been placed there by Beijing 2022 volunteer Zhang Junyin shortly after the television broadcast had finished but only those attending the medal ceremonies were able to get close enough to see it.
It was designed to convey the idea of environmental awareness and sustainability, although that idea did misfire somewhat, because it proved very hard to see and prompted at least one report, mistaken as it turned out, that it had been extinguished.
A similar snowflake was placed in position with the Flame at the mountain venue of Zhangjiakou.
The idea of a Flame first residing in a different location to where it had been lit had first been seen 70 years ago at the Helsinki Games.
After Paavo Nurmi had ignited a cauldron in the centre of the stadium, the Flame was subsequently burned from the stadium tower.
More recently at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, ice hockey superstar Wayne Gretsky transported the Flame to a location in the city after it had originally been lit in the indoor BC Place Stadium as part of the Opening Ceremony.
The idea of a modest Flame to protect the environment was also seen at Rio 2016 when a Flame burned in a public area at Candelaria during the Games.
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