On December 11, local time, the "Together to the Future" Beijing Winter Olympics Cultural Day hosted by the Chinese Consulate General in New York was held at the Wengang Botanical Garden on Stanton Island, New York. Photo by Liao Pan, a reporter from China News Service
BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is about to enter a key node in the 50-day countdown. With the steady progress of the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the world's enthusiasm for the arrival of the ice and snow sports event is increasing, and the attempt of some forces to "politicize" the sports event is doomed to be unpopular.
The politicization of sport is unpopular
Originated more than 2,000 years ago, the Olympic Games have been passed down from generation to generation after generation of sports people who have pursued peace and unity, and their influence has far exceeded the scope of sports. Promoting exchanges and mutual trust between different countries and nationalities through fair competition and enhancing friendship and unity have become the spiritual connotation of the Olympic Movement.
"The goal of Olympism is to make sport work for the harmonious development of humanity in order to promote human dignity and build a peaceful society." The Olympic Charter states so. As the supreme legal document on the Olympic Movement formulated by the International Olympic Committee, the important spirit of "the Olympic Games should not be politicized" runs through the whole process.
Data map: International students visit the Shougang Ski Jump. Photo by China News Service reporter Hou Yu
A few days ago, the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries said that they would not send government officials to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. In this regard, IOC President Bach believes that "politicization will threaten the future of the Olympic Games." Politicizing the Olympics would lead to the end of the Games. ”
In Bach's view, these practices only deprive athletes of the opportunity to share their success in the Olympic Games, contrary to the overall spirit and values of the Olympic Movement. As he put it, "The Olympics cannot solve all the challenges of the world, but it inspires us to solve them in friendship and solidarity." ”
The Olympic Games are a stage for athletes to compete fairly, show and surpass themselves, not a show for politicians in individual countries. Attempts to burden the Olympic Movement with an undeserved political label, and such acts that undermine the Olympic cause have also aroused opposition and resentment from more and more countries and peoples.
Infographic: Bach. Photo by China News Service reporter Tomita
Four years ago, the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were successfully held in South Korea. Now another Winter Olympics will be held in East Asia. A spokesman for the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a few days ago that the ROK side has always supported the beijing winter olympics to achieve a complete success and has always hoped that the Beijing winter olympics will contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia and even the world and the development of inter-Korean relations.
Venezuela recently issued a government communiqué demanding that the United States immediately stop politicizing sports. The communique said the Venezuelan government reiterated its firm support for China's hosting of the Winter Olympics. The Syrian Olympic Committee issued a statement saying that it firmly supports China's hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and all parties should abide by the basic principles and purposes of "political neutrality in sports" established in the Olympic Charter.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said that the United States' failure to send government officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics shows that for its own interests, the United States does not hesitate to undermine the international sports system and vainly attempts to rewrite international sports rules according to its own ideological norms.
The Brazilian Chinese Association and the South American Fujian Friendship Association joined hands with more than 10 overseas Chinese groups to hold a garden tour to welcome the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Sao Paulo. Photo by Mo Chengxiong, a reporter of China News Service
All walks of life in the world are looking forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics
The Olympic spirit should not be tarnished in any way by anyone. Closely focusing on the Olympic spirit of "higher, faster, stronger and more united", the ancient Olympic movement, with the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics as the source point, is condensing a vigorous centripetal force.
The announcement of the 10th Olympic Summit pointed out that the hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games will open a new era of global winter sports. The summit firmly opposed the "politicization" of the Olympic movement and sport and stressed the importance of political neutrality between the IOC, the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement as a whole.
The Declaration of the G20 Leaders' Rome Summit, the 13th ASEM Summit, the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the China-Pacific Island Foreign Ministers' Meeting all look forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics, all of which send a strong signal to the world and fully reflect the firm confidence of the international community in China's successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
On November 5, the Flame of the Winter Olympics was displayed at the "Flames Through Time and Space - Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Torch Relay Theme Exhibition". Photo by China News Service reporter Hou Yu
Facts have proved that it is individual countries that are truly on the side of the international community and the Olympic family. Not long ago, the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution of the Olympic Truce at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games by consensus. The resolution was proposed by 173 Member States, setting a new record for the number of countries mentioned in the truce resolutions of recent Winter Olympic Games.
Zimbabwe's Minister of Information Monica Mutzwangova said in an interview with Chinese media on the 11th that sports can bring encouragement and joy, should remain pure, and should never be politicized. The attempts of some Western countries to interfere with the Winter Olympics will not succeed, let alone have any impact on the smooth holding of this grand event.
South Africa's deputy director-general, Suklar, expressed regret at the politicization of the Beijing Winter Olympics by some countries. He said the world has been suffering from the impact of the covid-19 pandemic over the past two years, and the Beijing Winter Olympics are like a beacon of hope, uniting the international community. It's going to be a great festival, a great party.
The success of the Winter Olympics is the trend of the times
History proves that a successful Olympic event is the crystallization of the joint efforts of the International Olympic Committee, the host country and all athletes, and will never be interfered with by the "opposition" of individual countries. Since its successful bid in 2015, all walks of life in China have been unswerving in their determination to successfully host the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Olympic Games represent mankind's yearning for peace and unity. Under the new crown epidemic, the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics have a deeper meaning. As the first Winter Olympics held since the epidemic, the Beijing Winter Olympics not only build a platform for exchanges and cooperation for athletes from all over the world, but also demonstrate the strong will of all mankind to work together to defeat the epidemic.
In the past six years, under the continuous innovation of Chinese wisdom and the continuous condensation of Chinese sweat, the outline of an unprecedented Winter Olympic Games has gradually taken shape and will soon be presented to the world. The Beijing Winter Olympics also became the first Olympic Games to practice the Olympic Agenda 2020 from bidding, preparation to hosting.
Under the great changes in the world that have not occurred in a hundred years, a simple, safe and wonderful Olympic event will be held to demonstrate China's responsibility and responsibility as a big country. Now, the Beijing Winter Olympics have entered the final fifty-day countdown, and all the preparations have been prepared and the conditions for running the Games are fully met. It can be said that the Beijing Winter Olympics have been held as scheduled and smoothly.
The Beijing Winter Olympics is a global event for winter Olympics and ice and snow sports enthusiasts, and they are the protagonists. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that respecting the principle of political neutrality of the Olympic Movement and avoiding the politicization of sports is the common voice of the international community, especially the Olympic committees and athletes.
On December 3, the speed skating national training team was training intensively in the Erqi National Ice and Snow Sports Training Base in Beijing. China News Service reporter Han Haidan photographed
Wang Wenbin said that the Olympic Charter clearly points out that sports are a human right, and the words and deeds that politicize the Olympic Games are not only a violation of the human rights of athletes, but also a blasphemy against the Olympic spirit, which runs counter to the trend of the times of unity and cooperation.
The Beijing Winter Olympics will surely become a wonderful stage for practicing the Olympic motto of "faster, higher, stronger and more united", achieve the goal of bringing 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports, and make positive contributions to building a peaceful and better world.
Under the guidance of the Olympic spirit and with the joint efforts of all parties, Beijing in 50 days will certainly be able to present a simple, safe and wonderful Olympic event to the world. (End)