Delegation members of Serbia and volunteers pose for selfies at the Olympic Village for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Yanqing District of Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 31, 2022. Delegation members and volunteers celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Year of Tiger at the Olympic Village on Monday. (Photo by Xiao Shaowen/Xinhua)

As the exciting events at Beijing Winter Olympics captured the attention of audiences around the world, many netizens said they have also been touched by the friendly interactions between athletes and volunteers outside the field, which were shown in the moments they shared on social media. 

One example is a video posted by US athlete Tessa Maud, in which she said she was moved to tears by a volunteer who greeted her saying "Welcome to China" at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The video has been widely circulating online and has received over 90,000 views on Sina Weibo. 

"That guy who said 'welcome to China' literally just makes me tear up every time, because they are so nice. All the volunteers are so sweet and so kind. They are just so happy that we are here. We feel so welcomed," Maud said in the video as she swiped away tears.

The volunteer, Sun Zeyu, who is a junior student at Tsinghua University, said in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency that he was also overwhelmed that such a small interaction could bring Maud such a deep sensation.

Sun said that all the volunteers like him cheered, jumped and tirelessly welcomed participants in the Winter Olympics from all over the world with a hospitable attitude coming from the heart.

A volunteer surnamed Wang from Beijing Foreign Studies University majoring in French was also impressed with her interaction with Thierry Montillet, head coach of the Haitian Ski Federation. "I was very touched by their willingness to understand and respect our culture and their affirmation of everyone's commitment to the Games, including volunteers," she said. 

Ren Ziwei, a dual gold medalist in short-track speed skating at Beijing 2022, told China Central Television (CCTV) that a group of volunteers kept singing Ode to the Motherland, a famous patriotic song in China, to encourage them after their first award ceremony.

Ren said the volunteers' singing and the strength they passed on to him inspired him to do his best in the final of the men's 1,000 meters on Monday.

A volunteer from the Main Media Center, who participated in the chorus, told the Global Times on Wednesday that although she was not able to meet the athletes, she was still glad to cheer them up in this way.

The Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee confirmed on January 28 that more than 19,000 volunteers were on duty to serve the Games.

"Since the opening of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, many stories like this have passed on warmth, friendship and solidarity," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday.

"Many of the athletes said that they really enjoyed and appreciated what they have experienced in China, and that the thing they love the most is counting the smiling volunteers who waved at them. Let us give these volunteers a thumbs-up and a round of applause!" added Zhao.