International community supports the Beijing Winter Olympics (International Discourse)

On November 28, the first test match of the "Meet in Beijing" series of test matches in Zhangjiakou Was held. Pictured is Czech women's Eva (front) chasing women's competition in the snowboard steeplechase. Photo by Wu Dian sen (People's Vision)

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be held from February 4 to 20, 2022. At present, the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games have been completed, all the competition venues have been completed, and they have passed the certification of international winter single sports organizations, and fully meet the conditions for running the games. From October to December 2021, China held 10 international test competitions and 3 international training weeks, and more than 2,000 overseas athletes, team officials and international technical officials came to China to participate, and athletes from all over the world are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming "Ice and Snow Covenant".

As the Beijing Winter Olympics enter the countdown to the opening, the Beijing Winter Olympics, which were held as scheduled under the new crown pneumonia epidemic, have attracted widespread attention from all over the world. Although some countries clamor for "diplomatic boycott", the vast majority of countries around the world have always supported the Beijing Winter Olympics. The depoliticization of sports and support for the Beijing Winter Olympics have become the general consensus of the international community and the common voice of the international sports community.

"The Olympics are beyond politics"

"Following Beijing's successful hosting of the Summer Olympics in 2008, the Hosting of the Winter Olympics in 2022 fully demonstrates China's economic strength, and the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics will be another 'visual feast.'" Greece's Daily Daily reported.

Less than 60 days before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, many countries and international organizations around the world have expressed support for the Beijing Winter Olympics, and overseas media have paid more and more attention to the Winter Olympics. At the recent briefing on the second Olympic Games of Envoys to China for the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, about 120 envoys, senior diplomats and representatives of national (regional) Olympic committees from more than 70 countries participated in the activities through online and offline means. Samaranch Jr., Chairman of the IOC Coordination Committee for the Beijing Winter Olympics, said he was extremely proud, happy and confident that athletes from around the world would soon be gathered in Beijing.

According to the Russian news agency, on November 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he planned to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. A spokesman for the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on December 7 that the ROK has always supported the complete success of the Beijing Winter Olympics and has always hoped that the Beijing Winter Olympics will contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the world and the development of inter-Korean relations. Austria, France, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Belarus and other countries dignitaries and Olympic committee officials expressed their support for and will actively participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. The China-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers' Meeting issued a joint statement in support of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Important documents of multilateral mechanisms such as the BRICS Summit and the SCO Summit have been written in support of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and the joint communiqué of the China-Russia-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation have all supported China's successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The G20 Leaders' Rome Summit Declaration said that it looks forward to the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, stressing that "this is an important opportunity for athletes from all over the world to compete and a symbol of human resilience".

"The resolution calls on all Member States to work together with the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee to work together to promote sport as a tool for advancing peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and outside the Olympic and Paralympic events." In a recent resolution statement, the International Olympic Committee said that the international community has repeatedly expressed its support for the Olympic Games and athletes in recent times. The 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus the Olympic Truce resolution drafted by China and the International Olympic Committee, and 173 Member States jointly proposed the resolution. The resolution urges countries to observe the Olympic Truce 7 days before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and 7 days after the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games. "The attendance of government officials and diplomats in the Olympic Games is purely a political decision of the government of that country, and the participation of olympics and athletes is beyond politics."

"Bubble" management to ensure epidemic prevention

According to the VOA website, as the opening day of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics approaches, Beijing and the surrounding areas continue to promote relevant arrangements, including venue construction and epidemic prevention measures. The Chinese government announced at a press conference hosted by the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Committee on November 22 that eight competition venues, 16 non-competition venues and 31 supporting infrastructure facilities under the responsibility of Beijing have been officially completed and put into use. The organizers will next fully invest in the construction of more than 100 "temporary facilities" such as health and epidemic prevention, security and broadcasting, and expect to be completed and put into use by the end of December.

How can China safely and efficiently host the Winter Olympics as scheduled under the severe global COVID-19 pandemic? Foreign media focused on China's epidemic prevention policies for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

"There are only two months left before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The New Coronavirus Semikron variant has spread around the world, and the Chinese government has stressed that it will take strict epidemic prevention measures to hold the Beijing Winter Olympics as planned. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that the Winter Olympics test match was not affected by the epidemic, and the International Snow Federation Ski Jumping Intercontinental Cup event from December 4 to 5 was held as usual. The event adopts the same "bubble" management model as the Winter Olympics, blocking the contact between the players and the outside world to test the actual epidemic prevention effect of the model. China will adhere to the "zero tolerance" strategy for the virus, and on this basis, adopt strict "bubble" epidemic prevention management during the Winter Olympics.

According to the website of Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, on September 29, the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee announced the corresponding plan after a meeting with the International Olympic Committee. The plan stipulates that from January 23, all participants will be subject to closed-loop management and will not be allowed to leave during the entire Winter Olympic Games. Those who have completed the full vaccination 14 days before coming to China will directly enter the closed-loop management after entering China; those who have not been vaccinated or have not completed the full vaccination will be subjected to centralized isolation and observation for 21 days after entry. The IOC and the IPC expressed their support for these plans. The plan also stipulates that all competition-related personnel will undergo nucleic acid testing on a daily basis. A similar scheme has been implemented for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed until this summer.

Latin America news agencies reported that China will require spectators to show a negative nucleic acid test and proof of completion of COVID-19 vaccination when entering stadiums during the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games. Organizers will only recognize test results 48 hours before each match and will also reduce the audience capacity of the venue by more than half. China will implement a safety bubble mechanism for delegations, journalists and staff starting in mid-January next year, including the need to travel by designated means of transport and daily nucleic acid testing.

The "diplomatic boycott" was strongly criticized

According to the latest data from the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, as of November 17, the Olympic Committees of Europe and the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have submitted more than 14,000 applications for registration, and the United States Olympic Committee alone has submitted 1,528. While the vast majority of countries in the world are supporting the Beijing Winter Olympics, some countries have clamored for "diplomatic boycotts" of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which not only has few applicants, but also attracted criticism from the international community and overseas media.

According to CNN, U.S. White House press secretary Psaki said on December 6 that the Biden administration will not send an official U.S. delegation to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, thereby officially announcing the U.S. "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The White House move has been widely criticized in the United States and abroad. The Washington Post pointed out that given that athletes are not banned from participating and advertisers are not banned from sponsorship, "diplomatic boycott" is largely symbolic. Agence France-Presse reported that the U.S. Olympic Committee opposes a total boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, arguing that after a long epidemic, the Olympic Games are crucial and that "it is a mistake to use such a grand event as a political tool."

As of December 8, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries said they would not send diplomatic representatives to the Beijing Winter Olympics. In response, IOC President Bach warned on December 8: "Politicization threatens the future of the Olympic Games." If we start taking sides politically, it will be impossible for all 206 National Olympic Committees to gather at the Olympic Games. Politicizing the Olympics would lead to the end of the Games. ”

In addition, many of America's allies are more cautious. French President Emmanuel Macron's office said France would "coordinate at the European level" on the issue, agency AFP reported. German Chancellor Schoerz said Germany would "think carefully" and make decisions in an "international context." Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said that japan will consider factors such as the significance of the Winter Olympics and make independent judgments based on its own interests.

"Boycotts only deprive athletes of the opportunity to share their success in the Olympic Games, and they run counter to the overall spirit of the Olympic Movement and the values we fight for." As Bach put it, "The Olympics cannot solve all the challenges in the world, but it inspires us to solve them in friendship and solidarity." ”