Most of the European country of Switzerland is covered by the Alps, which provides the Swiss with unique conditions for winter sports. The Swiss town of St. Moritz hosted the Winter Olympics twice in the first half of the 20th century, and Switzerland is one of the few countries that has won more gold medals at the Winter Olympics than the Summer Olympics.
Luo Zhiyi, Swiss ambassador to China, said in an exclusive interview with a client reporter of Beijing Daily recently that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be a feast of sports, and he is looking forward to the wonderful performance of Swiss athletes and the sports atmosphere during the Winter Olympics. In his opinion, skiing is a Swiss tradition, so it is normal for Switzerland to win more gold medals at the Winter Olympics than the Summer Olympics.
Hopefully, Swiss athletes will be on the podium as much as possible
Switzerland has participated in all 23 previous Winter Olympics. As a highly competitive team at the Winter Olympics, Switzerland will send a delegation of 168 athletes at the Beijing Winter Olympics, including 93 male athletes and 75 female athletes, the second largest in the history of The Swiss Winter Olympics. Of these, 26 athletes won medals at the Winter Olympics.
Ralph Stockley, head of the Swiss Winter Olympics delegation, recently said that Switzerland aims to win at least 15 medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Keep in mind that 15 medals are Switzerland's best previous participation in the Winter Olympics. That is, the Swiss are determined to make history in Beijing.
On the day of the interview, an open-air event venue was being set up at the Swiss Embassy in China, and on the background board on the side were photos of all 168 Swiss athletes participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
"I look forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics as a feast for sports." Luo Zhiyi said that as a sports enthusiast, he hopes that Swiss athletes can win as much gold and silver as possible in this Winter Olympics, "This is my hope, my wish and my expectation." Athletes will be level playing at the Winter Olympics and I want to enjoy the sporting atmosphere. ”
The Beijing Winter Olympics will be held against the special background of the continued spread of the new crown epidemic. "Sport is the essence of the Winter Olympics. Enjoying the game is the most important thing, which is also my expectation. Luo Zhiyi said.
"It's normal for Switzerland to win more Winter Olympic gold medals than Xia'ao"
Switzerland has participated in all previous winter and summer Olympic games and has never been absent. It is worth noting that as of now, Swiss athletes have won a total of 53 summer Olympic gold medals, while at the Winter Olympics, this figure is 56. You know, in the history of the modern Olympics, only a handful of countries have done this.
"I think it's normal. Our geography dictates this. "Skiing is a traditional activity that The Swiss have loved for generations. When I was young, I had to go snow skiing several times a year. However, today's young Swiss people are more enthusiastic about snowboarding, but that's okay, it's also a Winter Olympics event. So, although we are a smaller country, skiing is a mass sport in Switzerland and the most popular sport in winter. ”
For sports fans around the world, Switzerland cannot be mentioned without mentioning tennis superstar Roger Federer and women's tennis star Martina Singis. In Luo Zhiyi's view, Switzerland relies on more than just a strong mass base to give birth to such an excellent world-class athlete as Federer, "You need a perfect talent training system to cultivate sports talents, and you need talented teenagers to join sports." They don't just play, they get coached by professional coaches. Of course, while participating in such training, the child's education will continue. Over the past two or three decades, Switzerland has invested heavily in this area and established a good system, thus producing many excellent world-class athletes. ”
"Recently I started to get hooked on Peking Opera, and that's great"
Switzerland was one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with New China. In July 2013, the two countries signed the China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement, which is also the first free trade agreement signed between China and a country on the European continent.
Luo Zhiyi said that in the 71-year history of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, the strong economic cooperative relationship is the most commendable. "There are now about 1,000 Swiss companies in China. All major Swiss companies have branches in China. When it comes to Swiss-Chinese cooperation, we often talk about innovation, which requires the support of scientific research. But in order to create more value, we first need more investments from businesses, such as companies in the pharmaceutical and renewable energy sectors. ”
In 2016, Switzerland became the first country to establish an innovative strategic partnership with China. In Luo Zhiyi's view, innovation is the main keyword for the development of Swiss companies in China. Both countries not only support advancing the climate agenda, but also collaborate extensively on important areas of innovation, such as low-carbon technologies, such as jointly studying how to develop standards for buildings.
As ambassador to China for nearly three years, Luo Zhiyi admits that Beijing has a fascinating culture, but these charming places need to take some time to discover. "Recently, I became obsessed with Peking Opera, which was amazing. There are also places like 798 in Beijing, where all the contemporary art is gathered, and not only the works of art can be seen, but also the artists. And Beijing is not only a cultural city, but also about 100 Swiss companies, there are also financial centers, and the high-rise buildings are very eye-catching. Personally, I prefer the side of Beijing as a cultural city. ”