Fan Suyuan (2nd L) /Ling Zhi (2nd R) of China pose for photos with Christopher Plys (L) /Vicky Persinger of the United States after the curling mixed doubles round robin event of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics between China and the United States at National Aquatics Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Jingqiang)
The camaraderie among athletes seen on the curling rink at Beijing Winter Olympics has warmed the relations between the governments of the United States and China, Reuters said in a report on Sunday.
After a match of the mixed doubles round-robin on Saturday, Fan Suyuan and Ling Zhi presented their American rivals with a set of commemorative pin badges featuring Bing Dwen Dwen -- the panda mascot of the Games.
"They're just beautiful, something super unique. These will be on my desk for a very, very long time," Christopher Plys, who competes for the United States with Victoria Persinger, was quoted as saying.
"I'm definitely going to have to give them something now. They've upped their game big time. We'll find something special to give them to hold onto," Plys said.
"I've never felt any animosity towards us or our country, and we try to show them the same respect. At the end of the day, we all bleed the same blood and play the same game. It's fun to experience each other's cultures and show them it's all love," he added.
The gesture echoed the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" triggered by a chance meeting between table tennis players Zhuang Zedong and Glenn Cowan at the world championships in Japan that eventually paved the way for then U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972, Reuters said in the report.
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