Olympic rings easy to find at Beijing Games
Five interlocking rings — sometimes in different colors, sometimes not. That simplest of symbols is easy to take for granted after all these years. When a city hosts the Olympics, it becomes ubiquitous, easy to take for granted but still a powerful reminder of the significance of this event.
The rings spend a lot of time quietly in the background — on the ice at speedskating, curling and figure skating competitions. Ice makers applied a cutout of the rings to the track at Yanqing National Sliding Center ahead of the Beijing Games. They're also on display near enough to the moguls course to make a spectacular backdrop when a skier sails through the air.
Occasionally, an athlete will seek out the rings for a photo opportunity. Switzerland's Marco Tade did during training for the moguls competition. Italian luger Andrea Voetter had the rings on her fingernails. Norwegian curler Magnus Nedregotten has the rings tattooed on his arm.
Japan goalkeeper Nana Fujimoto poses for a picture at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
A Chinese athlete warms up before the start of the men's speedskating 1,500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The Olympic rings shine near cross-country skiing training before the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A broom is used for target guidance at the curling venue ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The Olympic rings are seen behind workers staged in protective equipment at the National Indoor Stadium at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A man wears a protective mask while walking inside of the Zhangjiakou National Ski Jumping Centre before the start of competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The Olympic rings are seen on a curling stone ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Anna Fernstaedt, of the Czech Republic, starts during the women's skeleton training run at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
The Beijing Olympic Tower is displayed inside the Olympic rings at the main media center ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The Olympic rings are seen on the nails of Andrea Voetter of Italy as she talks via radio after a crash during a women's luge training run at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Viktor Hald Horup of Denmark warms up during a light show before the start of the men's speedskating 5,000-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Eliska Brezinova, of the Czech Republic, competes in the women's short program team figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Olympic rings sit next to the moguls course ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ice makers apply a cutout of the Olympic rings onto the track at the Yanqing National Sliding Center ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Medical personnel stand ready for activity during a scheduled speedskating practice session inside at the National Speed Skating Oval the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A member of the China men's hockey team skates across the Olympic rings during a practice session at the National Indoor Stadium ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Japan's Kisara Sumiyoshi trains for the women's freestyle moguls skiing competition ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man wears a face mask displaying the Olympic rings at the ski jumping stadium ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A woman cleans a table at the Olympics Main Media Center ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Magnus Nedregotten, of Norway, holds a brush and has an Olympic rings tattoo on his arm during the mixed doubles curling match against the Czech Republic at the Beijing Winter Olympics Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The Olympic rings are lit up along a road at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Text from AP News story, AP PHOTOS: Olympic rings easy to find at Beijing Games