Olympic Odyssey: Beijing's Official Ambassador for the Games Talks Trekking to Over 175 Countries
From Antarctica to Namibia, and hundreds of other destinations inbetween, Beijing-based Olympic volunteer Cao Da Fo is well on the way to reaching his goal. The milestone he has in mind? Visiting every country in the world, five-ring flag in hand, to promote the 2022 Winter Games.
Thus far the wealthy 53-year-old volunteer and benefactor, who owns and rents out numerous Beijing properties, has been to every continent on the globe as an official folk ambassador for the Games. Officials bestowed that title upon him after he began that journey independently eight years ago, posing for photos with locals while clutching an Olympic covered with stamps from each nation that he has visited.
Namibia was the one hundred and seventy fifth country on his globe-trotting Games promotion itinerary. During his time in the African nation in early February, Cao scaled the famous Sossusvlei Dune 45 and visited a Himba tribal vilage.
"One of the women there told me about how she chases zebras, and she asked me if that meant she was fast enough to win a gold medal at the Olympics," Cao tells TBJ. "I want to somehow help make her Olympic dream come true."
Cao sees himself as not only a representative for the Games, but also a promoter of peace, goodwill, and cultural exchange. "I feel like the Olympic torch is more like a spark of hope for the world," he says.
His Olympic journey began in 2008, when volunteered for the Summer Games. He feels that the sporting event forever changed Beijing for the better. "When I was little, I didn’t even dream that this could happen, that the subway could run so near my home, that China could attain more worldly knowledge, that we could appear more international."
And while the 2008 Games spurned on municipal development, he hopes that the forthcoming Winter Olympics will help make Beijing all the more livable.
"Since I became so involved in the Olympics, I no longer strive for material things," he says, adding that he sold his car, and now mostly bikes in Beijing. "I like exercising outside more, and I hope the 2022 Games will give Beijingers more knowledge about winter sports, make our temperament better, and inspire us more."
He also hopes to inspire similar sentiments among his new friends in all corners of the planet. On March 6, Cao will leave to El Salvador, and onto Guatemala and Nicaragua. But despite all the places he has been, Namibia will always remain an unforgettable highlight.
Or, as Cao puts it: "Seeing the desert, climbing that dune and raising the Olympic flag over my head, was just so amazing. It makes me feel deeply thankful with all my heart."
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Photos courtesy of Cao Da Fo
