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Members of the Olympic Delegation of
Sweden parade into the National Stadium at the opening ceremony of the
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 8, 2008. (Xinhua/Liu
Dawei)
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BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- "I know these Chinese
characters mean 'never give up'," Bulgarian rower Matin told Xinhua in the
Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on Wednesday.
Actually, quite some foreign athletes to compete at
the Beijing Olympics have carried "Chinese Elements" with them in order to win
the hearts of Chinese audience during their competitions. They had Chinese
characters printed on their uniforms.
On the white T-shirts of New Zealand athletes, there
is a three Chinese character translation of the island country. The red color
helps make the Chinese characters shining in the sun and specially
eye-catching.
"It means a mixing of the two cultures," New
Zealand's kayak paddler Jones Luuka said outside the boathouse near the slalom
water course in the park.
Poland, Germany, Switzerland and Canada also have
Chinese characters printed on their athletes' T-shirts.
"Olympics is this time held in China. We want people
to know where we are from," Canadian slalom team leader Michal Staniszewski
said, adding that the three "8" printed on the back of their T-shirts and the
front of their caps are designed to bring good luck to them because they
represent blessings in the Chinese culture.
Jens Hahl from Germany said that their T-shirts were
printed in the same way when they headed for the Athens Olympics four years
before, in hopes of narrowing the gap between them and the foreign culture they
found themselves in.
Some athletes said that they would wear uniforms
carrying "Chinese elements" just in order to let Chinese audience shout or yell
for them when their competition chances come.
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Members of the Olympic Delegation of Switzerland parade into the National Stadium at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 8, 2008. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)
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