Olympic Winners Get Plush Panda Then Medal
Feb 7, 2022, 10:17 AM
BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 07: Gold medallist Arianna Fontana of Team Italy (C), Silver medallist Suzanne Schulting of Team Netherlands (L) and Bronze medallist Kim Boutin of Team Canada (R) pose with Bing Dwen Dwen mascots during the Women's 500m flower ceremony on day three of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 07, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
BEIJING (AP) — When most champions get off the slopes or the ice at the Beijing Olympics, they are handed Bing Dwen Dwen, the chubby panda mascot of the Games.
Where are the medals?
They come later at a special ceremony where the day’s winners gather. But immediately after competition, the winning athletes receive a plush toy panda, stuffed inside a plastic shell that is meant to represent ice.
#BingDwenDwen waiting for the medal winners 😍#Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/ZPW0QVwo46
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 7, 2022
Bing, in fact, means ice in Chinese. The toy is also adorned with a golden wreath.
A similar ritual unfolded at the Pyeongchang Games four years ago.
There, immediately after winning gold, silver or bronze, medalists got Soohorang, a striped white tiger that served as the mascot of those Games.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
Beijing is the capital of China, with a population of more than 20 million people and the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic games. It is one of the largest cities in the world and 15 hours ahead of Mountain Time. There are 13 different venues in and around Beijing that will be used for the Winter Olympics. A total of 109 events will be held in 15 different sports, and there will be a lot of Utah locals competing for medals. Keep up to date with them at our Olympic headquarters.
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