By Saturday, the 20-year-old cross-country skier,
had actually provided the slip to an excited worldwide press, her lackluster finish in her Olympic debut hardly mentioned in the Chinese media. The catapulting of Ms. Yilamujiang into the worldwide spotlight, followed by a subtle retreat, marked an exceptional 24-hour whirlwind for the hitherto-unknown professional athlete.
Dinigeer Yilamujiang,
On Friday night, as Chinese leader
Xi Jinping
and Russian President
In the end, it was less about how Ms. Yilamujiang carried the flame– hand in hand with Zhao Jiawen, a Chinese athlete in the Nordic integrated– as it had to do with her identity.
Vladimir Putin
seen from the VIP cubicle at the Beijing National Stadium, Ms. Yilamujiang was the surprising– and instantly controversial– option for what well-known Chinese film director and opening ceremony genius Zhang Yimou had actually assured would be “a vibrant and extraordinary method of lighting the Olympic flame.”
Torch bearers Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Zhao Jiawen brought the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony.
Photo:
Cao Can/Zuma Press
With the opening event, Ms. Yilamujiang became an overnight celeb in China, promoted as a symbol of national unity.
The IOC validated in an emailed reaction to questions that mixed-zone guidelines stay in place despite the pandemic, however it decreased to talk about Ms. Yilamujiangs no-show. Ms. Yilamujiang couldnt be grabbed remark through Chinas National Olympic Committee, which didnt reply to ask for comment.
It didnt go especially well. By the first checkpoint of Saturdays race, Ms. Yilamujiang had actually fallen behind majority of the field of 65 rivals, ultimately completing 42 locations behind the eventual gold medalist, Norways.
Though Ms. Yilamujiang wasnt available to address reporters questions after Saturdays race, Chinas state-run broadcaster did have an exclusive interview, in which she revealed incredulity at having actually been delegated with the role of torchbearer.
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To human rights activists overseas, the option of Ms. Yilamujiang for the opening event was a pointed defense by Mr. Xi.
State-run media had actually previously published videos on social media of Ms. Yilamujiangs family back house in Xinjiang, beaming with pride.
Ms. Yilamujiangs choice for such a prominent task was noteworthy for another factor: She was set to make her Olympic sporting debut 18 hours after her star turn.
” China has actually done whatever it can for me, and what is left for me to do now is to train hard and bring glory to the nation,” Ms. Yilamujiang was priced estimate as saying in an article published by the Communist Party-run Xinjiang Daily. The post likewise highlighted her personal story, as a teenage skill groomed by her dad– himself a decorated skier and national cross-country ski coach.
” That minute will motivate me every day for the rest of my life,” Ms. Yilamujiang told Chinas main news company Xinhua on Sunday, it reported. “I was so delighted when I discovered out we were going to put the torch. The Beijing Olympics are the first Winter Games to rely totally on artificial snow. WSJ examines the logistics of snowmaking and what it may indicate for future host cities. All Rights Reserved.
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Ms. Yilamujiang is a Uyghur, a member of the Turkic minority group native to Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang that has become the primary focus of allegations in the U.S. and the West about Chinese human rights violations.
China has explained its actions as necessary procedures to fight terrorism and secure nationwide security.
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Xinhua stated she and her partner represented Chinese athletes born in the 2000s and represented an inheritance of sporting traditions and the Olympic spirit across generations. It made no reference of her ethnicity.
In a news briefing on Saturday, Beijing Olympic organizers decreased questions about Ms. Yilamujiangs selection, choosing to talk about rather the opening events snowflake motif.
The Beijing Olympics are the first Winter Games to rely totally on artificial snow. WSJ examines the logistics of snowmaking and what it may suggest for future host cities. Photo: Lisi Niesner/Reuters.
Dinigeer Yilamujiang completed in the cross-country skiathon, finishing 43rd.
— Laine Higgins added to this post.
Ms. Yilamujiangs escape, if thats what it was, seemed in breach of International Olympic Committee guidelines that require all athletes to go through a “combined zone” where they can– but arent obliged to– address journalists questions.
Later, Ms. Yilamujiang and the 3 other Chinese athletes completing in the occasion slipped away, leaving more than a lots Chinese and foreign journalists waiting on more than an hour in freezing temperature levels.
In a different video posted by the newspaper, Ms. Yilamujiangs mom applauded Beijing: “Thanks to the nation for offering my daughter such an important mission.”.
” That moment will motivate me every day for the rest of my life,” Ms. Yilamujiang informed Chinas official news firm Xinhua on Sunday, it reported. “I was so excited when I discovered we were going to put the torch. Its a huge honor for me!”.
” She is representative people young athletes in her spirit,” she stated. Asked what she considered Western media reports about Xinjiang, Ms. Adake sighed audibly.
The 20-year-old from Xinjiangs northern Altay prefecture is among six professional athletes from the Chinese region completing in the Winter Games, and the just one of Uyghur heritage.
The 22-year-old Ms. Adake, a member of Chinas Kazakh minority, another of the nations 56 officially recognized indigenous groups, said she got psychological seeing her close pal Ms. Yilamujiang appear on tv as one of the surprise last torchbearers.
Concerns over Chinas human rights record, and especially its ethnic-assimilation efforts in Xinjiang, have clouded the run-up to the Games, and overshadowed other elements of the opening ceremony.
They told the Journal in different emailed remarks that there were strict selection criteria for torchbearers, each of whom boasted outstanding achievements. The IOC declined to address particular concerns on her selection.
Therese Johaug.
Ms. Yilamujiangs silence on her ethnic identity was a contrast with fellow professional athlete Adake Ahenaer, a speedskater from Xinjiang who was also making her Olympic debut.
” As an ethnic minority battling in our home court, to represent my country and represent my ethnic group, offered me honor,” Ms. Adake told press reporters after competing in the ladiess 3,000-meter speedskating occasion on Saturday, where she was available in 17th. “This honor is indescribable.”.
The Chinese federal government has targeted the Xinjiang regions mostly Muslim ethnic minorities with mass-detention internment camps and omnipresent monitoring as part of a yearslong campaign of forcible assimilation.
Write to Liza Lin at Liza.Lin@wsj.com and Elaine Yu at elaine.yu@wsj.com.
The decision to select Ms. Yilamujiang, instead of a more accomplished or widely known professional athlete, and to combine her with a member of Chinas Han majority, was analyzed as Mr. Xis act of defiance against the global pressure project and decried as “offending” by abroad Uyghur human rights groups.
Aaron Favila/Associated Press.
” Since the nation offered me such an important objective, I needed to satisfy it,” Ms. Yilamujiang said in the interview, which was broadcast Sunday but which appeared to have been taped prior to her race.
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