The Organising Committee of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 revealed its Olympic torch design today during an event marking one year to go until the Games begin. The torch was presented during a ceremony held in the iconic Beijing 2008 Summer Games venue – the National Aquatics Centre – which has been transformed into the “Ice Cube” for next year’s Olympic Winter Games curling competition. The winning design, selected from 182 entries in a global competition launched back in April 2020, was commended by Beijing 2022’s judges for its combination of Chinese aesthetic value, traditional cultural connotations and advanced technology.
One of the design highlights allows two Olympic torches to lock into each other at the top when torchbearers exchange the flame during the Olympic Torch Relay. The two-tone design represents a metaphor of fire and ice, symbolising how it will bring light and warmth to the winter sports scene. It features the emblem of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, with patterns of clouds and snowflakes painted from the bottom up to the flame.
The Olympic torch spirals upward to resemble two overlapping, fluttering ribbons. The inner red ribbon evokes rising flames, with the outer one plated in silver, representing ice, to produce a striking contrast. IOC The Olympic torch will be the second to light the Olympic cauldron in the city, following the Olympic Games Beijing 2008. In recognition of Beijing’s status as the world’s first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games, the 2022 Olympic torch features a similar design to the main cauldron from 2008, which resembled a giant scroll, highlighting the Olympic spirit’s legacy in the Chinese capital.
The cloud patterns covering the handle also draw inspiration from the 2008 Olympic torch, and by using the same colour combination and sharing artistic elements from that torch, the Organising Committee aims to showcase Beijing’s rich Olympic culture. Planning for the Olympic Torch Relay and the selection of torchbearers for the Games are currently underway, with detailed information to be released in due course by the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee.
