Italian Ambassador to China Fang Lanyi. Reporters of this newspaper and Guan Xin photographed
I wish the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics a complete success. Italy will take over the Olympic flame from China in preparation for the 2026 Milan/Cortina dʼAmpezzo Winter Olympics. ——Fang Lanyi
After next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing, the 25th Winter Olympics in 2026 will be held in Milan, Italy, with Cortina d'Ampezzo, which will be the third time in Italian history that the Winter Olympics will be hosted, and it will also be the second time that Cortina dʼAmpezzo, a small city in northeastern Italy, has hosted the Winter Olympics since 1956.
Italian Ambassador to China Fang Lanyi said in an exclusive interview with this reporter recently that as the host of the next Winter Olympics, hosting the Winter Olympics has left Italy with a lot of heritage, not just the honor of sports. Fang Lanyi said that the Beijing Winter Olympics will definitely be a success, and the performance of Chinese athletes will surprise everyone, "I believe their performance will confirm my expectations."
Italy attaches great importance to the Beijing Winter Olympics
"The Beijing Winter Olympics are ready. My colleagues and I have visited all the Winter Olympic venues, and some athletes have come to China to participate in test matches. Fang Lanyi said that under the new crown epidemic, the host countries of the Olympic Games need to face the double test of epidemic prevention and control and the hosting of the Olympic Games at the same time, and the relevant departments will ensure people's safety when holding the Winter Olympics through "closed-loop management", and epidemic prevention will be the top priority of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which China has done well.
As an ice and snow sports power that will host the Third Winter Olympic Games and the successor of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Italy attaches great importance to this Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Fang Lanyi revealed that the Italian Embassy in China has set up a team of young diplomats to take charge of the Winter Olympics, while he himself keeps in touch with the Italian Olympic Committee President Marago every day.
The performance of Chinese athletes will surprise everyone
While preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics, China is also promoting the development of ice and snow sports from the level of competition and popularization. Fang Lanyi spoke highly of China's initiative to develop ice and snow sports.
"China is making great efforts to promote the popularity of winter sports in the country. I was very impressed with china's ski resorts, they have all the necessary environment and facilities. "In recent years, China has been committed to improving the level of sports and put forward the goal of '300 million people participating in ice and snow sports'." The Winter Olympics will be an important opportunity for the development of Ice and Snow Sports in China, and will also promote the upgrading of the ice and snow industry. ”
Compared with the traditional powerhouses of ice and snow sports such as Italy, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the level of competition in China's winter sports, but despite this, Fang Lanyi still has high expectations for the performance of the Chinese delegation, the host of the Beijing Winter Olympics. "The competition at the Winter Olympics will be very fierce, but I think the performance of Chinese athletes will surprise everyone."
Speaking about the confidence in Chinese athletes, Fang Lanyi said, "The learning ability of Chinese is incredible. You learn very quickly, always very focused, disciplined, and manage things very well. ”
"I believe chinese athletes will win a lot of medals. Maybe not as much as it was at the Summer Olympics, but the Chinese delegation will be a strong team. ”
It is hoped that the Beijing Winter Olympics will show China's international image
In June 2019, 13 years after hosting the Turin Winter Olympics, Italy once again successfully bid for the 2026 Milan/Cortina Dampezzo Winter Olympics. This will be the third time Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics.
Fang Lanyi believes that it is no coincidence that Italy has hosted more Winter Olympics than the Summer Olympics, in addition to the deep tradition of winter sports, but also because the Winter Olympics have indeed left a lot of heritage for Italy, not just the honor of sports.
"The Olympics will attract people from all over the world. It will not only focus the world on Italy, but also make the host city a world-renowned city. We hope that the Milan/Cortina dʼAmpezzo Winter Olympics will also bring Italy back to global attention, promote tourism and enhance the world influence of Milan and Cortina dʼAmpezzo. ”
Speaking of China, Fang Lanyi said that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games showed the world a new look of China, showed China's amazing development achievements in the past two or three decades, and greatly enhanced China's international image. He hopes the Beijing Winter Olympics will achieve the same effect.
Towards the end of the interview, Fang Lanyi excitedly told reporters that he was a fanatic of winter sports himself. "After coming to China, I have been to Chongli twice, and the valley there is very beautiful. After the opening of the high-speed rail, it only takes an hour's train ride from Beijing to reach the ski resort of Chongli. There I could take a taxi or a bus and those hydrogen buses were amazing. When you arrive at the ski slopes, you can go skiing immediately as soon as you register. Everything was perfect, it's one of my favorite things to do in Beijing in winter. Speaking of the experience of skiing in China, Fang Lanyi could not hide his excitement.
Source Beijing Daily
Reporter Bai Bo Lu Xueqing
Process Editor Wu Yue