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Tenzing, Everest in Kiwi Commonwealth logo

Thursday - 15th July 2010

KATHMANDU: In recognition of the team spirit exhibited by Edmu-nd Hillary and Tenzing Norgay when they scaled Mt Everest successfully on May 29, 1953, the New Ze-aland Olympic Committee has decided to name the country’s Commonwealth Games logo “29028 Hillary and Tenzing”.
The Games will be held in Delhi later this year and the “29028” in the logo stands for the height of Mt Everest in feet when it was conquered by Hillary and Tenzing. Hillary, a bee keeper from New Zealand and Sherpa Norgay had nothing much to relate to each other nor did they understand each other’s languages. Yet, as a team they overcame one of the biggest challenges of the 20th century with their passion and determination to excel against all adversaries, says a report in the Indian daily The Telegraph.
The report quoted the committee’s web page: “On the 29th of May 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the summit of Mt Everest after climbing 29028 feet of rock, snow and ice. Now, in memory of Sir Edmund and Tenzing, 29028 has become the motivation and inspiration for this year’s Commonwealth Games team competing in Delhi.
Let’s get behind our team and come together to honour Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.”
It added that the logo was created after consulting the families of Tenzing and Hillary. The New Zealand team believes that the spirit that runs through the two families to this day will help them achieve greater glory. “Our athletes strive for the qualities that made Sir Ed and Tenzing great and we’ll be asking them to draw on those characteristics in Delhi this October,” said Delhi Chef de Mission Dave Currie in a media release that was issued after the announcement of the logo at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Manukau City on May 17.
The Telegraph also interviewed Jamling Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, Tenzing’s son and an Everester himself who described the Kiwi committee’s decision as a great honour. “It is a great honour to find my dad’s name in the logo. It has surprised me even more. Sir Edmund Hillary was a national hero for New Zealand but they decided to pay tribute to the spirit of the team and we are extremely thrilled,” said Norgay. “The two did little talking while climbing as my father could not speak English and Sir Edmund did not understand Nepali. But they worked as a team and it was the passion to excel that helped them overcome all odds.”
In a true team spirit, Tenzing and Hillary continued to remain friends even after their achievement. “My father visited New Zealand many times and even today the two families continue to remain great friends,” said Jamling, who stays in Darjeeling. Tenzing passed away in 1986. Sir Edmund visited Darjeeling even while he was posted in India as the High Commissioner. He breathed his last at the ripe age of 88 in 2008.


Source THT