John Ian Wing

John Ian Wing (born c. 1939) is a British resident of Chinese descent. He was a student in Australia in 1956 when he wrote an anonymous letter to the International Olympic Committee suggesting the athletes from all countries mingle during the closing parade. His idea was used that Olympiad and has remained an Olympic tradition since that time. [cite news |first=Harry |last=Gordon |title=The changing face of a dear-old arena |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/23/1064082994352.html |work=The Age |date=2003-09-24 |quote=Perhaps the greatest single contribution the 1956 Games made to the Olympic movement came from an anonymous Chinese boy, a 17-year-old apprentice carpenter who wrote cheekily to the organisers suggesting that the procession at the closing ceremony should not be a traditional march, with divided nations, but one joyous intermingled affair, with athletes from all nations linking arms and waving. The idea was adopted, and that is the way it has been since. That Chinese lad, later identified as John Ian Wing, changed the closing ceremony forever. On the 30th anniversary of the Games, through an essay in Time magazine, I played a role in finding him - living as a builder in England.]

1956 Summer Olympics

Just days before the closing ceremony of the 1956 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, the Olympic committee received an anonymous letter. This letter encouraged the Olympics to do something they have never done before. It was a suggestion that would bring all the athletes together as a symbol of global unity. The athletes must not march but walk freely and wave to the public during the closing ceremonies. That was exactly what happened.

Thirty years later, a Chinese individual named John Ian Wing revealed himself to the world as having written the letter and became a hero of the Olympic Games. He became recognized with an Olympic medal for his historic contribution to the Olympic Games, becoming the first Chinese person to be awarded an Olympic medal. At the time of the letter, Wing was a 17 year old apprentice carpenter. He did not state who he was because he wanted to remain anonymous due to being Chinese; he did not want to get in trouble from his parents. With all the media attention, he wrote a second letter, telling his name and address and why he wanted to be anonymous. John’s idea has become an Olympic tradition and the Melbourne Olympics became known as the “Friendly Games.”

A street in the former Athlete's Village at the site of the 2000 Summer Olympics at Sydney has been named John Ian Wing Parade in his honour.

References

“Don't Write a Letter of Complaint... Offer a Solution!” DimSum. 20 Sept. 2007. The British Chinese Community Website. 5 Nov. 2007. http://www.dimsum.co.uk/viewpoints/dont-write-a-letter-of-complaint...-offer-a-solution.html

Location of John Ian Wing Parade at the Sydney Olympic Park (Newington)http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=John+Ian+Wing+Way,+Newington,+NSW+2127+Au&sll=-33.839677,151.054716&sspn=0.012155,0.019312&layer=c&ie=UTF8&t=h&cbll=-33.843027,151.052135&panoid=x30zS-QDt9Hs-UpThYCCvQ&cbp=1,36.07884243290863,,0,6.3424685556431335&ll=-33.836415,151.065445&spn=0.024311,0.054932&z=15

External links

* [http://www.johnwing.co.uk/ Olympic Games and John Ian Wing]