Beijing unveils official Olympic cheers

By Yang Jian  |   2008-6-5  |     ONLINE EDITION

THE government has some good news for those with Olympic tickets – it has published some chants and gestures to be used at Olympic events, just in case fans weren't sure what to do while cheering on their favorite athletes and countries.

Organizers will popularize the slogans across the country so that spectators will be "polite and united" when encouraging athletes, the Beijing Times reported.

The gestures were jointly developed by the authority for good manners, the Ministry of Education, the Beijing Olympic Committee and state-owned broadcaster CCTV.

There are four chants and gestures. The first is to applaud twice and shout "ao yun," which means Olympics in Chinese. It means welcome to all the foreign athletes and spectators. The second is two thumbs-up, with arms stretched out while shouting "jia you," meaning go, go. It symbolizes that people from around the world are gathering under the Olympic flag. Another cheer is to applaud twice and shout "zhong guo," or China. This is to encourage domestic athletes. The final gesture is to stretch out your arms with your hands balled up into a fist while shouting "jia you" again. This is to express support for the Olympic spirit.

Cheers can be mixed and matched to suit the different competitions, said Li Ning, president of the Beijing Etiquette College and also one of the designers of the chants.

For example, the chant can be changed to "Brazil, go, go." Brazil can be replaced with any country competing, Li added.

The Ministry of Education will popularize the gestures and chants in universities and schools across the country, the report said.

More than 800,000 students nationwide will be invited to watch events during the Beijing Olympics.

CCTV will also broadcast the cheers.

During the Games, the Beijing Olympic Committee will arrange 448 volunteers to lead the cheers at all venues, the report added.