Tiny Olympic flame mocked, but director Zhang Yimou says it ‘sets new standards’ for ‘carbon-neutral’ Beijing Games
- Famed Chinese director Zhang says the idea to make the flame smaller than usual prompted a high-level meeting with IOC officials
- ‘Say you ran out of money for the Olympic flame without saying you ran out of money for the Olympic flame,’ one Twitter user said
While Chinese social media users have praised the smaller-than-expected Olympic flame unveiled at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, it was subject to plenty of ridicule outside the mainland by viewers who expected the usual giant cauldron.
But famed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, the director behind the opening ceremony, told multiple Chinese media outlets the smaller flame had to defy Olympic traditions to reduce carbon emissions.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants the Beijing Games to be carbon-neutral, meaning the Olympics would not lead to a net addition of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere.
Zhang claimed in an interview with state-run news agency Xinhua the downsized cauldron had prompted a high-level IOC meeting to discuss the proposal, which the organisation declined to confirm. It also declined to say whether it was concerned Zhang’s idea deviated too far from Olympic traditions.
A giant snowflake, imprinted with the names of all 91 teams taking part, formed the cauldron on Friday night. Chinese Nordic combined skier Zhao Jiawen and cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who is ethnically Uygur, “lit” the cauldron by pushing the handheld-sized last torch into the centre of the snowflake, which was then raised mid-air.