[Global Times-Global Network report reporter Zhao Jueheng Chen Qingqing] "Thank you very much for all this, can not describe my feelings!" Czech figure skater Natalie Tashkrelova sighed in a recently released Vlog of the Beijing Winter Olympic Village. Natalie showed off the various gifts and souvenirs she received at the Winter Olympic Village: a backpack printed with the Beijing Winter Olympic logo, a red-wrapped Gift Pack of Chinese New Year gifts, and her favorite Winter Olympic mascot, the Ice Pier Doll. In an interview with the Global Times reporter on the 2nd, Natalie described herself as "almost crying" when she received these souvenirs.
Natalie, 20, was part of the Czech Winter Olympics delegation, her first time competing in the Winter Olympics. After staying in the Beijing Winter Olympic Village, the perfect infrastructure, enthusiastic volunteers and souvenirs full of surprises made Natalie very excited, and she also recorded her experiences in the Winter Olympic Village through vlogs, and these videos also received a large number of netizens on Chinese social media.
"I've been waiting for this little guy, now I just need the big one." Natalie, who received the ice pier doll from the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, was particularly happy, and even mentioned when she slept: "The first night with my panda... Good night everyone. Natalie told the Global Times that after staying in the Winter Olympic Village, she received a gift bag containing various Lunar New Year gifts, including Winter Olympic-themed couplets, lanterns and paintings.
"I almost cried at the time," Natalie told the Global Times, who was thrilled to see the ice pier doll in the gift bag. Natalie said she and her teammates had previously discussed buying keychains and pillows printed with pandas (ice piers) because they were so cute.
This year's Beijing Winter Olympics coincided with the Spring Festival, and the Winter Olympic Village was also full of strong New Year flavors, where you can see Spring Festival, Lucky Characters and Lanterns, and Natalie and other athletes also tasted dumplings, spring rolls and other delicacies in the restaurant.
For Natalie, who participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time, she did feel some tension at first, but the comfortable and warm Winter Olympic Village made her start to enjoy this trip to the Beijing Winter Olympics. "The rooms are great, everything is so clean and tidy, (the staff of the Olympic Village) guarantees the safety and health of everyone," Natalie told the Global Times reporter, although athletes need to undergo nucleic acid tests every day, she understands that this is to ensure that everyone is safe and can successfully complete the game.
Although all athletes participating in the Winter Olympics must be in a closed loop for epidemic prevention and control reasons, Natalie does not feel that she is in a "narrow bubble" because the winter Olympic village is very large. "Athletes can take a 1-hour walk here and discover places they haven't been to before."
According to reports, the Czech Republic will send 114 athletes to beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, surpassing the 93 at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and setting a record high. In addition, Czech athletes will compete in all 15 sub-events for the first time.