If you’re anything like the 34.2 million Americans who tuned into the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, you probably spent the last few weeks glued to the TV watching athletes dive, jump, spike and run. Although cheering for Michael Phelps when he won the 100-fly by a hundredth of a second or gawking as Nastia Liukin as she performed a near-perfect balance beam routine may have made for an exciting end to the summer, few University students’ Olympics experiences can compare to that of first-year student Yolanda Yixiao Min.
Min, a native of Nanjing, China, did not only watch the Olympics in her home country: She marched more than 50 meters through the streets of Beijing with the Olympic torch held aloft in her hand.
“The distance [was] really short,” Min said. “But [it was] the most meaningful running of my life.”
Min, who attended Chaoyang Foreign Language School in Beijing, was nominated to be a torchbearer by the Beijing Educational Committee for her academic excellence and involvement in extracurricular activities. In particular, Min’s involvement with the Green Olympics was a significant factor in her selection. Green Olympics was one of three themes for the Beijing Olympics, along with Humanistic and Hi-Tech Olympics.
According to the official Web site of the Beijing 2008 games, Green Olympics was designed to help China “prepare Olympic Games in accordance with the principle of sustainable development, which calls for the protection of environment, conservation of resources and maintenance of ecological balance,” as well as to “raise public awareness and leave rich environmental heritage for both China and the world.”
These issues are crucial, Min said.
“Green Olympics ... means building a greener city and a more environmental-friendly society to welcome the Games,” she said.
Her interest in environmental awareness grew out of a field study she conducted in inner Mongolia about grassland degradation and its influence on social and ecological development.
“We cannot make better living conditions with [the current] environmental crises, nor can we endure a truly economic development unless we figure out how to seek the balance between making development and protecting the environment,” Min said. “I’m not a policy-maker, just an ordinary student, but I can still use my knowledge to do something for the community around us.”
Min submitted an essay to the Beijing Committee following her nomination that detailed her interest and efforts in this area. In fall 2007, she was informed that she had been selected as a torchbearer. Min said she was “almost crazy” with excitement.
“I suddenly [realized] that it’s such a huge honor for me,” she said.
As the Games grew near, Min underwent what she described as very “simple but important” training, including how to carry the torch in the correct manner and how to pass it to the next bearer.
Two days before the official Aug. 8 opening of the Beijing Games, Min became a part of the longest torch relay since the tradition started in Berlin in 1936. Under the theme “Journey of Harmony,” the torch traveled for 129 days and across more than 137,000 kilometers on six continents.
“I never imagined that I [would be] carrying a flame which was collected from the ancient temple in Athens and which can join the world’s attention together,” Min said. “That’s a magic power.”
Aside from carrying the torch, Min also attended many of the Olympic events in Beijing. She saw tennis, swimming, gymnastics and diving, and said she loved them all. In regards to her opinion of the Olympics, “I am really proud of my country and my city,” she said. “People there did a wonderful job.”
Although she has not yet chosen a major, Min is contemplating a double major in environmental science and international relations.
Min said she fell in love with Grounds when she visited last spring, and she is excited about what the University has to offer.
“I’m pretty sure this is the place that can provide me the best four years of my life,” Min said.
Reflecting on her experience as an Olympic torchbearer, Min said carrying the torch was a dream come true.
“For me, the most important thing I took away from this experience is the passion and friendship that this event encompasses,” Min said. “It’s something about building a brighter world with passion we have, and we walk together toward our shared dream.”
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