Medals plazas to host presentations to athletes

Xinhua

Chinese skaters who won gold in the 2000m mixed relay short track speed skating yesterday at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be presented with medals tonight at the capital's Medals Plaza.

This is a cultural feature that first appeared in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and has distinguished the Winter Games from the Summer Games since.

A temporary outdoor non-competition venue located between the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) and National Aquatics Center (Ice Cube), the Beijing Medals Plaza, whose main stage is designed with a concept of "embracing diversity," will be open for 14 days through February 19 and will host victory ceremonies for 32 events in the Beijing Competition Zone.

Zhangjiakou Medals Plaza, meanwhile, will run during the same period for victory ceremonies for a total of 49 events in the Zhangjiakou Competition Zone.

Victory ceremonies held at both plazas will be broadcast live to the world alternatively every day.

Unlike the Summer Games, when the award ceremony is held for the athletes in the competition venue as soon as the competition is over, a souvenir ceremony for winning athletes will be held at the competition venue first, and an award ceremony will be hosted later in the Medals Plaza. This is mainly due to low temperatures at competition venues.

And for the first time in the history of the Winter Games, medalists at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games will be able to share their joy and excitement with their families via a screen that flanks the medals podium.