Presented here is an official unused relay torch from the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Constructed of a resin-coated carbon fiber composite, it measures 33" in length and 4" at its widest point. Manufactured by Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company and designed by Li Jianye, the torch was inspired by the natural flowing beauty of plants and flowers, a theme that meshed with Beijing’s green approach to the torch’s composition of materials. Its combustion fuel uses emission-free hydrogen gas that is environmentally friendly. The plant-like spiral construction gives it a floating ribbon look, and its creative replication of movement has earned it the nickname of “Flying Torch” [Fei Yang]. The open-air design with stunning silver and red color schemes – metaphoric for ice and fire – symbolizes how the torch is intended to bring “light and warmth to this world of ice and snow.” At quick glance, the color combination and general shape may resemble its predecessor, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics torch, only this is a highly advanced, futuristic version. Flying Torch is remarkably light, yet incredibly sturdy, having been created with high-tech 3D knitting technology to form a body seven to nine times harder than steel. The upper portion of the body bears the Beijing 2022 emblem, the lower portion features 1,268 laser-engraved convex clouds and low relief snowflakes patterns, and the torch’s centralized swirling red line represents the winding Great Wall, the Olympic ski slopes, and “humanity's relentless quest for light, peace, and excellence.”
The flame for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics relay was in Olympia, Greece, on October 18, 2021, and was passed to the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee the following day before it departed for the Chinese mainland. Due to the COVID pandemic, it was decided to reduce the length and duration of the traditional relay route and cap the number of relay runners at 1,200. Shortened to only three days, the Olympic torch relay resumed on February 2nd, when it began its journey through the three Olympic zones, the city of Zhangjiakou and the main sights of Beijing, which became the first ever host city of both the Summer and Winter Games. The relay concluded on Feb. 4th at the Opening Ceremonies inside Beijing National Stadium. A masterful integration of artistic craftsmanship and high-tech innovation, this extraordinary Olympic torch perfectly embodies Beijing’s mission to hold a safe and sustainable Winter Games during the worldwide pandemic. Mission accomplished. The torch displays beautifully in unused, like-new condition. Perhaps as impressive as the torch is its lovely original white presentation case, a rectangular box with a magnetized auto-shut door and a foam-padded interior perfectly shaped to hold the torch. The box is unblemished in mint condition as well. It should be noted that, to our knowledge, only two other examples (both unused) have been sold publicly since these Games ended six months ago, one of which going for $22,000 at auction.