BEIJING: The audience broke into loud cheers as the Pakistani delegation appeared in the National Stadium at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on February 4, and Naeem Muhammad, a PhD student in China, was proudly sitting in front of his TV screen.
“It’s the happiness and excitement that only a Pakistani could feel in China as the two countries are each other’s most reliable iron-clad brother,” the 29-year-old said.
Muhammad studies in the School of Civil Engineering at Central South University in Hunan Province and has been living in China for almost 10 years.
The most talked about topic during video calls with his family was the ongoing Winter Games. He said his three sisters were crazy about “Bing Dwen Dwen,” the mascot.
“Watching the games brings back the feelings and memories of our childhood. We live in the northern part of Pakistan. There’s a lot of snowfall. My younger brothers and sisters and I used to play in the snow all day, and skate on handmade boards made by our grandpa,” he said.
Iqbal Junaid, a medical student at Central South University, shared the same vexation with Muhammad, as the two of them have not yet bought a Bing Dwen Dwen.
“I tried buying these mascots online, but the Olympic fever has made its demand surpass the supply by a huge margin,” Junaid said.
Besides the lovely mascot that captured the hearts of these students, they were also impressed by the successful hosting of the games and the spectacular opening ceremony, especially against the backdrop of the pandemic that is still raging.
“Being a foreigner, I understand that during the pandemic it is challenging to host mega-events such as the Olympics. But China has the capability,” said Zafran, who majors in computer science at Central South University.
Meanwhile, Umair Khan, a master’s degree candidate in geological resources and geological engineering, noticed the green technologies at the Beijing Olympics.
“In pursuit of a green Olympics, all the venues are powered by green energy for the first time in Olympic history,” Khan said.
He shared links to the Olympic Games with his family and friends back in Pakistan to show his support. “Specifically, in my family and friends circle, they would like to watch figure skating, freestyle skiing, hockey, Nordic combined, and short track games.”
Tehreem Azeem is a PhD student at the Communication University of China in Beijing. She has been working as a journalist in Pakistan and has been writing a weekly blog in Urdu for two years.
She recently wrote a few blogs on the Winter Olympics.
“With the Winter Olympics, Beijing has become the world’s first city to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. It is a great honour for China,” she wrote.
“China has developed plans to accommodate all athletes, media and people coming for the Olympics. I read that the World Health Organization also appreciates China’s efforts.
I believe that the Olympics will be smoothly held and after the pandemic, we will be able to go back to normal life and travel around the country,” read one of her blogs.
