OPINION | Zhang Peng: Olympic host cities as global cities: an overview of a shared future

The Olympics has become an integral part of the Beijingnese since 2008. Although several cities have hosted the Olympics more than onetime, Beijing is the first city that has hosted both the summer and winter Olympics. The Olympics always has the magic that could bring the world vibrancy every two or four years, even though the COVID-19 Pandemic continues. Beijing has integrated its citizens’ everyday life into the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

People living in the Olympic host cities can feel the vibrancy everywhere, not only through the renovated public transportation, the newly constructed stadiums and venues, and the Olympic village for participating athletes but also through the understanding of “a shared future”: open, green and smart.

A total of 39 cities have successfully held 30 summer Olympic Games and 21 winter Olympic Games since 1896, but these host cities are global cities in different ways. Some cities are historically famous megacities, but some were chosen to be the pilots in Olympics, and later became new resorts. For example, the first winter Olympic Games was held in Chamonix, France.

From the perspective of urban renewal, the Olympics left these host cities so many legacies and heritages. Olympic stadiums become new landmarks, serving as new attractions and public service providers. The Olympism and Olympic spirit are shared more effectively between generations because of the details of Olympic stories. The Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together” has been incorporated into host cities’ values.

There are common grounds of Olympic host cities as global cities on “a shared future”, and much we could offer to advance these cities. Firstly, Olympic host cities could and should build stronger ties in the name of Olympic. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) can initiate more related partnerships-building programmes. Secondly, the lifestyle of the Olympic village could be more popularized to let citizens share the green and environmentally friendly habitat development. Thirdly, peace and security are the basis of a shared future, and thus, every Olympic host city should be the benchmarks of taking the responsibility of maintaining peace and security.

【相关阅读】

冬奥时评（五）：2022 Beijing Winter Olympics offers a rare opportunity to initiate a renovation of globalization

冬奥时评（六）：The Olympics is about diversity and global unity

来源丨上海外国语大学新闻网

作者丨张鹏

编辑丨周旭阳