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About the Games

On March 4, 2022, Beijing will welcome approximately 600 of the world’s best Paralympic athletes for the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, becoming the first city to have hosted both the summer and winter editions of the Paralympic Games.

With a vision of a “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow”, the event will honour China’s ancient traditions, pay homage to the legacy of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, and promote the values and vision of the Olympics and Paralympics.

The Paralympics will take place over 10 days from 4 to 13 March, with athletes competing in 78 different events across six sports in two disciplines: snow sports (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon and snowboarding) and ice sports (para ice hockey and wheelchair curling).

These events will be staged at six venues in the three competition zones of central Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. Two of these venues – the National Indoor Stadium (para ice hockey) and the National Aquatic Centre (wheelchair curling) – are legacy venues from the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics.

Mascot

The name “Shuey Rhon Rhon (雪容融)” has several meanings. “Shuey” has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for snow, while the first “Rhon” in Chinese Mandarin means to ‘to include, to tolerate’. The second “Rhon” means ‘to melt, to fuse’ and ‘warm’. Combined, the full name of the mascot promotes the desire of having greater inclusion for people with impairments throughout society, and more dialogue and understanding between the cultures of the world.

Shuey Rhon Rhon is a Chinese lantern child, whose design features elements from traditional Chinese paper cutting and Ruyi ornaments. The Chinese lantern itself is an ancient cultural symbol in the country, associated with harvest, celebration, prosperity and brightness.

The glow emanating from Shuey Rhon Rhon’s heart (surrounding the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics logo) symbolises the friendship, warmth, courage and perseverance of Para athletes – traits that inspire millions of people around the world every day.

Torch

The 2022 Paralympic Torch, named ‘Flying’ (飞扬 Fei Yang in Chinese), bears many similarities to its counterpart for the Olympic Games.

Beijing is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, and the torch for the 2022 Winter Paralympics honours the Olympic legacy in the Chinese capital through a spiral design that resembles the cauldron of the 2008 Summer Games and Paralympic Games, which looked like a giant scroll.

The torch has a colour combination of silver and gold (the Olympic torch is red and silver), meant to symbolize “glory and dreams” while reflecting the Paralympics values of “determination, equality, inspiration and courage.”

The emblem of Beijing 2022 sits on the mid-section of the torch, while the whirling gold line on its body represents the winding Great Wall, the skiing courses at the Games, and mankind’s relentless pursuit of light, peace, and excellence.

Made of carbon-fibre materials, the torch is light, resistant to high temperatures, and is primarily fueled by hydrogen (and thus is emission-free) – which is in keeping with the Beijing Organizing Committee’s endeavour to stage a ‘green and high-tech Games’.

A unique feature of the torch will be on display during the Torch Relay, as torchbearers will be able to exchange the flame by interlocking the two torches via the ‘ribbon’ construction, symbolizing Beijing 2022’s vision to ‘promote mutual understanding and respect between different cultures’.

The lower section of the torch is engraved with ‘Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games’ in braille.

The final design was selected from 182 entries in a global competition.

Emblem

The official emblem of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games – named ‘Leaps’ – artfully transforms 飞, the Chinese character for ´fly.´ Created by artist Lin Cunzhen, the emblem is designed to invoke the image of an athlete in a wheelchair pushing toward the finish line and victory. The emblem also personifies the Paralympics vision of enabling Para athletes to ‘achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world’.