Olympic Winners Get Plush Panda then Medal

Miho Takagi of Japan waves during a ceremony after winning the silver medal in the women's speedskating 1,500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP)
Miho Takagi of Japan waves during a ceremony after winning the silver medal in the women's speedskating 1,500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP)
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Olympic Winners Get Plush Panda then Medal

Miho Takagi of Japan waves during a ceremony after winning the silver medal in the women's speedskating 1,500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP)
Miho Takagi of Japan waves during a ceremony after winning the silver medal in the women's speedskating 1,500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP)

When most champions get off the slopes or the ice at the Beijing Olympics, they are handed Bing Dwen Dwen, the chubby panda mascot of the Games.

Where are the medals? They usually come later at a special ceremony — a system introduced in 1988 at the Calgary Games.

But immediately after competition, the winning athletes in Beijing receive a plush toy panda, stuffed inside a plastic shell that is meant to represent ice. Bing, in fact, means ice in Chinese. The toy is also adorned with a golden wreath.

Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris won his third Olympic bronze medal on Monday and said he loved the prize that came with it.

“I always claimed back in the day that my spirit animal is a panda. I love pandas,” he said.

A similar ritual unfolded at the Pyeongchang Games four years ago. There, immediately after winning gold, silver or bronze, medalists got Soohorang, a striped white tiger that served as the mascot for those Games.

The tradition of giving a mascot to the winners has existed for more than a decade at the Youth Olympics.



Coffee Overtaking Tea Culture in the UK

“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)
“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)
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Coffee Overtaking Tea Culture in the UK

“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)
“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)

Discover the hidden gem of the UK's coffee culture, where vibrant independent cafes outshine the chains, offering a unique blend of flavors and atmospheres.

“Fancy a brew?” “I'll put the kettle on then.” Hearing those words are no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK, The Daily Express newspaper reported on Monday.

It said grabbing a coffee either on the go or at a café is as part of British culture these days as it is in Italy.

But while every person has its favorite chain, be it Pret, Starbucks, Costa or Cafe Nero, nothing beats finding a decent independent coffee shop one can call home especially when it can seem high streets are dominated by the same chains.

So with the demand for coffee only growing, where is the best spot in the UK to find an independent coffee shop?

A study by Reviva Coffee reveals the UK city that is the hidden gem when it comes to thriving coffee culture.

And it probably isn't where you'd expect. In fact this county is synonymous with tea. Yorkshire Tea, to be precise.

However the study discovered the best UK city to find independent coffee shops is in the Yorkshire city of Leeds. It has a staggering 584 coffee shops, of which 86.3% are independent, and just under 14% are chains.

Placing second is Edinburgh. Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or just needing a cosy pit stop, Edinburgh has you covered with its outstanding coffee scene with 560 shops, 85% of which are independents.

In third for best UK cities for independent coffee shops is Bristol which has 347 coffee shops, 86.3% of which are independent.