Rachana Gupta

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games has concluded with utmost grandeur. The magnificent closing ceremony, along with the spectacular games' extravaganza, left its mark not just in the hearts of the athletes, the supporting staff, and local residents, but also the international audiences and sports enthusiasts.
To commemorate this occasion, one of China's top news sources, China.org.cn, in association with ePanel, a specialised opinion poll organisation, conducted a survey regarding Beijing Winter Olympics.

The poll mainly focused on the opinions of people aged between 20 and 69, randomly chosen from 10 different countries, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and Italy. The survey revealed that the slogan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, "Together for a Shared Future," was supported by 71.6 per cent of respondents.
According to the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the word "together" in the slogan showcases the resilience of humankind in finding solutions for the challenges that are thrown its way, while "for a shared future" depicts a vision for mankind's prosperity, thereby promoting hope and confidence for the future.

Notably, the values such as friendship, peace, solidarity, respect, and excellence are a part of the very foundation of the Olympics. The Games have always strived to unite mankind through sports.
The motto of Beijing 2022 promoted a similar spirit of shared unity, prosperity, harmony, and inclusiveness, and therefore accurately endorses the newly revised Olympic motto, which is "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together."

As many countries continue to struggle with public health crises and economic woes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an environment of uncertainty and mistrust has developed among nations. Moreover, the Cold War mentality that some Western countries have has made the path to global solidarity and cooperation bumpier.
In this regard, to restore the confidence of the nations once again toward unity and all-inclusive growth and prosperity, symbolic slogans like "Together for a Shared Future" at important events like Beijing Winter Olympics and the Paralympics have become all the more essential.

In addition, the successful hosting of Beijing 2022 will certainly encourage people from all corners of the world to stand hand-in-hand to push collectively for a brighter future.
Remember that the fate of all depends on the conduct of each. It is in the best interests of not just China but the entire world to uphold the Olympic values of friendship, peace, and solidarity, and the unity of humankind begets stability, inclusiveness, and prosperity for the future generations to come.
Therefore, in current uncertain times, symbolic slogans such as "Together for a Shared Future" are very much needed to rekindle the lost spirit of togetherness among nations.

-- China.org.cn