The sports presentation team pose for a group photo at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, February 17, 2022. /courtesy of Wang Yixi
After the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, athletes from across the world went back home with medals or memories. People who worked for the event also cherish the days of working in the closed loop.
For them, the event not only witnessed their contribution and personal achievement, but also fueled their passion for their future career and winter sports. Three of them shared with CGTN their stories of working for the Games and the memories they cherished.
Wang Yixi, 24, announcer
"When my teammate called me 'a professional announcer,' I felt all my efforts worthy," said Wang Yixi, who completed her task as an announcer at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province.
Wang Yixi, an announcer for the Beijing Winter Olympics at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, January 31, 2022. /courtesy of Wang Yixi
Wang is a postgraduate student majoring in broadcasting at the Communication University of China. As someone who loves sports - Wang practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai - she leapt at the opportunity when the sports presentation (SPP) team wanted announcers for the Winter Olympics.
Since December 2020, Wang survived five rounds of selection and training. From full-scale drills to training sessions and test events, she stood out among 300 candidates to make it to the top five percent of trainees who were eventually chosen to be announcers at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou.
Though well-prepared, Wang encountered new challenges near the start of the event. SPP producer Kris Severson and announcer Jeff Graves came from the United States and arrived at the venue on January 29, meaning they had less than a week to find the right tempo in coordinating English and Chinese announcements and commentaries.
Wang had to translate the gist of what Graves said about an athlete, but also paid attention to the time slot before another athlete entered the scene. "I needed to turn their professional English jargon into Chinese quickly because time was quite limited," said Wang.
Wang Yixi (L), announcer Jeff Graves (C) and producer Kris Severson (R) for the Beijing Winter Olympics at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, February 6, 2022. /courtesy of Wang Yixi
After adapting to each other's announcing styles, Wang and Graves soon made a great team. Before leaving China, Graves confessed that he was once worried that Wang was too young to handle the tasks. Previously a professional skier, Graves has been an announcer of ski jumping for several winter Olympic games. "You are absolutely a professional announcer," Graves told Wang.
To know the backgrounds of all athletes, Wang researched many English websites to find their training and competition experiences and rankings. "If I could take an International English Language Test now, I could get very high scores," she joked.
In her venue, an athlete could jump from a platform as high as 140 meters. "They should be proud of themselves by having the courage to take the jump. Medals are just icing on the cake," said Wang.
China is a newcomer in ski jumping, so some athletes didn't perform well in the competition, yet Wang pumped up their confidence in her commentaries. "You were on fire," producer Severson described Wang's performance though he didn't understand Chinese.
Wang is grateful for the SPP team in which she has known many great teammates. "I will never forget the experience of working with them," she said.
Chinese reporter Zhu Guan'an at the Guyangshu venue cluster for the Beijing Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, February 14, 2022. /courtesy of Zhu Guan'an
Zhu Guan'an, 24, reporter
"I respect winter sports athletes and technical officials more after reporting this winter event," said Zhu Guan'an, a reporter who worked from Zhangjiakou during the Games.
He was busy because he covered all competition venues of the Guyangshu venue cluster in Zhangjiakou. Running between competitions, interviews, and press conferences, he also covered such other events as extraordinary people, rescue drills, and the weather.
A fresh journalism graduate, Zhu prepared for his reporting during the Games by studying various competitions, stadiums and people associated with the event.
He usually arrived at the venue in the early morning, and left around midnight when the temperature outside was almost minus 30 degrees. Responsibilities pushed him to discover what's important to report, and how to interview people in a friendly and effective manner.
"I felt a sense of achievement every time my report was published," said Zhu. He even enjoyed the excitement of competing for the fastest reporting of the same event with other reporters.
Zhu Guan'an's tools while working for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. /courtesy of Zhu Guan'an
There were neither many well-known Chinese athletes nor China's strength competitions in the Guyangshu venue cluster, so Zhu struggled to produce reports during the first few days. But things went more smoothly as the competition went on. Zhu even contributed news that resulted in 10 top trending searches on China's social media platforms.
As the Games came to an end, Zhu was reluctant to say goodbye to the venues, media center, colleagues, and even the local accent. On Chinese New Year's Eve, Zhu and his colleagues missed supper in the canteen and cooked noodles with chili sauce to fill their appetite. "It was perhaps the most delicious noodles I've ever had," said Zhu.
During the past month, he experienced pressure and frustration, excitements and achievements. All has become part of him and will eventually impact his career as a journalist. "I want to report other Games in Paris and Milan, too," said Zhu.
The Beijing Winter Olympics' International Broadcast Center, in Beijing, China, January 27, 2022. /courtesy of Michelle Liu
Michelle Liu, 35, administrative staff
"It's probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my 35 years of life," said Michelle Liu. She meant her experience of working in the closed loop during the Games.
Liu now works for a language service company as a translator in Haidian District in Beijing. When Liu asked for a two-month leave so that she could work for the Games, her boss agreed. "I'm grateful for his support," said Liu.
Her family and friends all supported her, too. They believed that it was an honor to be part of this event and hoped that Liu could enjoy the experience.
Liu worked in the International Broadcast Center (IBC) as support personnel for the executive management team of a rights holding broadcaster. She had a relaxed schedule and had more time to explore the center.
Besides robots that had been widely reported in the media, Liu witnessed people's intense love for Bing Dwen Dwen, the star mascot of the Games. Liu said people would get in line for six hours to buy mascots at IBC's licensed merchandise store.
"Before the mascots became a hit, I bought many of them for my family and friends. I mailed the gifts to them as soon as possible because I wanted to share the joy of participating in this event," said Liu.
Moments of life while working for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. /courtesy of Michelle Liu
People in the center were also interested in collecting Olympic pins and would clip them along the string of the accreditation card. Liu said people could easily start a conversation by trading their pins, which became a typical scene in the center.
After watching athletes' performance in competitions, Liu is considering learning skating or skiing because she saw the charm of winter sports. "I will also take my two-year-old son to participate in such activities," Liu added.
People watch the opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in the International Broadcast Center in Beijing, China, February 4, 2022. /courtesy of Michelle Liu
Liu said she will never forget watching the opening ceremony in front of the big screen on the IBC's first floor. "Every time a representative team came out, everyone applauded and cheered for them. When the Chinese team came out, the audience sang Ode to the Motherland together. I was welling up," Liu said.