China chooses panda as Winter Olympics mascot
BEIJING (AFP) — China has chosen its most iconic animal — the panda — to be the official mascot of the Beijing Olympics in 2022, the Winter Games organizing committee announced on Tuesday.
The mascot, named “Bing Dwen Dwen,” is a chubby giant panda wearing a suit of ice.
The black and white bear has a “heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports,” tweeted the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
For the Paralympic Winter Games, the mascot is a blushing red lantern named “Shuey Rhon Rhon.”
Beijing will be the first city to host both summer and winter Games, after winning the bid in 2015, beating out underdog Almaty.
The Chinese capital held the summer Olympics in 2008 in what was then seen as China sealing its place on the world stage as an emerging superpower.
Beijing will have to rely on widespread use of artificial snow for the Winter Games, and has said it will budget $1.5 billion for investment in Olympic villages, sports venues, and other infrastructure.
The country is also building a high-speed train link from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, a city northwest of the capital where many mountain events will be held.
Some of Beijing’s 2008 venues, however, including its iconic Bird’s Nest national stadium, will be reused for the 2022 Games.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Mystics were thrilled to pull out a close win in the playoffs.
Elena Delle Donne scored 24 points and hit a crucial turnaround jumper late, Emma Meesseman added a career postseason high 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the Mystics held on for a 97-95 victory over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series.
It was Washington’s first win all year by a single possession, one in which the Aces missed a game-tying runner at the buzzer.
“It was stressful,” admitted Delle Donne, helped the Mystics to a 26-8 regular season record and the top playoff seed. “We haven’t had many of those moments. And to get one of those in the semifinals is big. To be able to gut it out is huge for us.”
Meesseman also bested her regular-season high of 25 for the Mystics, who were playing their first postseason game since being swept by the Seattle Storm in last year’s WNBA Finals. Meesseman wasn’t a part of that team, after taking a leave of absence following the 2017 season.
“She’s been preached at all year by her teammates and coaches that she’s the missing piece from a year ago,” Mystics coach Mike Thibault said.
In her first game in more than a month, Kristi Toliver added eight points, including a falling away, contested 3-pointer that stretched Washington’s lead to 13 in the fourth quarter, an advantage that just barely held.
“Kristi had some Kristi moments,” Delle Donne said. “Thank God.”
A’ja Wilson scored 23 points for Las Vegas, which twice got the deficit as close as two points in the final moments. Liz Cambage had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Kayla McBride added 19 points.
Kelsey Plum had 16 points and nine assists, and missed a runner to force overtime two days after Dearica Hamby’s 35-foot runner decided the Aces’ 93-92, second-round win over Chicago.