Turkey amazed by Beijing 2022 opening ceremony

ISTANBUL, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The moment the Turkish Olympic team entered Beijing's famous Bird's Nest stadium for their parade, big applause broke out from the audience in a hall in Turkey's eastern Erzurum province.

All the ski coaches and 85 Turkish athletes of all ages gathered at the Erzurum ski club's facility in Palandoken Mountain to watch the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics on television.

Atakan Alaftargil, president of the Turkish Ski Foundation, told Xinhua that the audience was impressed by the ceremony, where "all the beauty" of the whole world came together.

"I was fascinated especially by the end, where all the countries of the world came together around the Olympic cauldron inside of a snowflake. It was a very beautiful ending," he said. "It was well prepared, very well thought-out, beyond expectations, reflecting China's world power status."

In Alaftargil's view, the Olympic Games in Beijing would be a platform where all athletes would respect each other under the principle of fair play, conveying a message of peace and unity.

Turkey's short-track speed skater Furkan Akar and cross country skier Aysenur Duman carried the country's flag at the parade.

Akar, 19, told Xinhua that he was very excited during the entire ceremony, as if he was competing at a race.

"Turkey's name was announced, and then we entered the stadium. Thousands of people were watching, cheering, and thousands of others were dancing. It was really beautiful," Akar noted.

He described the show as excellent, being impressed by the fireworks and the moment of lighting of the Olympic torch the most.

Giray Fidan, an academic at the Ankara-based Haci Bayram Veli University and an expert on Turkey-China relations, also watched the ceremony with great interest.

For Fidan, one of the most interesting factors of this Olympics is the use of renewable energy and eco-friendly technologies that would reveal China's contribution to global low-carbon development.

"Climate change doesn't just affect one place. It is an issue that involves the whole world, humanity, and beyond humanity, all of nature. That's why it's very important that such an issue is underlined in the Olympics," Fidan told Xinhua, noting that he would watch the Games from this perspective.

Meanwhile, Turkish athletes in Beijing have been posting numerous photos and videos on their social media accounts, showing them enjoying the Olympic atmosphere and the technology they encountered.

Having around 50,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram, Turkey's ski jumper Fatih Arda Ipcioglu told Xinhua that he has been in close interaction with his fans, who are all eager to learn more about the Olympics.

"They are all curious wondering what it's like, and they are very impressed by the posts that I share. I receive a lot of feedback," the 24-year-old said.

For her part, Turkish Alpine skier Ozlem Carikcioglu, 28, said she was happy to encounter Chinese citizens and get in close contact with Chinese culture. She described the people working in the Yanqing Olympic Village as "extremely hardworking, helpful, and polite."

Turkish National Olympic Committee Sports Director Erdem Dogan, who is accompanying the Turkish team in Beijing, told Xinhua that all the athletes particularly liked their villages, noting that the buildings and apartments they stay in are "extremely modern and comfortable."

Turkey sent seven athletes in short-track speed skating, Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping branches to take part in the Olympics that will run until February 20.