Beijing 2022 Olympic medals design unveiled with 100 days to go

-- Preparations for Beijing 2022 have moved into their final stages as the unveiling of the medals marked the 100-day countdown to the Games.

-- With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging in many parts of the world, Beijing 2022 organizers have underlined the health and safety of the participants as their top priority.

-- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has received "unanimously positive" feedback from athletes at the Beijing 2022 test series.

Beijing celebrated the 100-day countdown to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games on Tuesday with the unveiling of the medals for the Games.

Named "Tongxin", meaning "Together as one", the medals feature five concentric rings embodying the traditional Chinese philosophy of harmony between heaven, earth and human beings. The rings also symbolize the Olympic rings, carved in the inner circle, and the Olympic spirit uniting the world through sport.

Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, playing the role of an ancient Greek High Priestess, lights the torch during the Olympic flame lighting ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in ancient Olympia, Greece, Oct. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Less than a week after the Olympic flame arrived in China after it was lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece, the unveiling of the medals design is another milestone as preparations for Beijing 2022 move into their final stages.

Having successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing will soon become the first city to have staged both summer and winter editions of the global sporting spectacle.

HIGHLIGHTING CHINESE CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

Beijing 2022 organizers have taken advantage of the Winter Olympics to showcase Chinese culture and technological innovations, just as previous host nations have done.

The medal design was inspired from a piece of Chinese jadeware called "Bi", a double jade disc with a circular hole in the center. Just as jade is thought of as an auspicious and invaluable ornament in traditional Chinese culture, the medal is a testimony of honor and unceasing efforts by the athletes.

The design for the Beijing 2022 Olympic medals was unveiled on October 26, 2021. Pictured are the front side (L) of the gold medal, and the reverse side (R). (Xinhua)

"When athletes hold the medals in their hands, they will first touch the details embodying ancient Chinese culture. Then if they look closely, they will see the cloud and snowflake patterns on the obverse side, and celestial patterns on the reverse side," noted chief designer Hang Hai.

The torch for the 2022 Olympics spirals upward to resemble two overlapping fluttering ribbons, with its curve drawing inspiration from a leaf. When one bearer passes the flame to another, the two torches will lock together like a firm handshake, the idea of which comes from the Kong Ming Lock, a traditional Chinese toy.