The general supervisor of the Japanese delegation to the Beijing Winter Olympics was retired well-known ski jumper Masahiko Harada, who won the gold medal in the men's big jump team event at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the bronze medal in the big jump individual event. In an exclusive interview with a client reporter from Beijing Daily, Masahiko Harada said that the overall performance of Japanese athletes at the Winter Olympics was satisfactory. In Japan, the Beijing Winter Olympics have gained a lot of attention.
He especially mentioned that he was impressed by the performance of Chinese athletes in the Winter Olympics and believed that Chinese winter sports projects would achieve good results in more world competitions.
Photo courtesy of Masahiko Harada, general superintendent of the Japanese delegation at the Beijing Winter Olympics, courtesy of AfloSport
The Beijing Winter Olympics have attracted much attention in Japan
On Feb. 16, Timo Lum, chief executive and managing director of the IOC's Television and Marketing Services, said at a news conference that the ratings of the Beijing Winter Olympics were at a high level. In Japan, for example, 8 out of every 10 people watched the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Masahiko Harada confirmed this to reporters. He said that the Beijing Winter Olympics have indeed received high attention in Japan, and the weather in Beijing has been very good since the start of the games, bringing a good visual experience to the audience. In addition to the wonderful performance of the athletes, the mascot "ice pier" is also indispensable, and many Japanese spectators have seen the "ice pier" awarded to the athletes at the award ceremony, and they have been cute with this cute image.
In Masahiko Harada's view, the operation of the Beijing Winter Olympics is "very smooth", the transportation between the venues is "very convenient", and the hotel where the athletes stay is also "very comfortable". He also mentioned that under the epidemic conditions, it is an innovative idea for the Winter Olympic Village to provide food made by robots, and the organizers are very thoughtful.
"The facilities at any of the competition venues at this Winter Olympics are fantastic. I have participated in many Winter Olympic Games, seen many Olympic venues, and China's venue facilities are first-class, which allows athletes to play their own level. Masahiko Harada was sincerely impressed.
For the opening ceremony directed by Zhang Yimou, he used the word "dream" to describe it, and said that he hoped that everyone could see such an excellent opening ceremony.
Masahiko Harada said that although the Winter Olympics operate under the "closed-loop management" and the people in the ring cannot have direct contact with the outside world, athletes from various countries conduct friendly exchanges and interactions in the Winter Olympic Village every day, which reflects the significance of hosting the Olympic Games, that is, to promote exchanges between athletes and people of all countries.
The performance of Japanese athletes is remarkable
Speaking about the performance of the Japanese delegation at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Masahiko Harada said that with the efforts of the athletes, the Japanese delegation has set a new record for the number of medals. Whether it is a veteran of the Winter Olympics or a new generation of athletes, there are good performances, especially the performance of the younger generation of athletes is very prominent.
The Japanese team won the bronze medal in the Nordic biathlon team jumping/cross-country skiing 4×5 km relay on 17 February, marking the second time in 28 years that the Japanese delegation has won a medal in the event. "Japan's new and old athletes are united in this competition, reflecting the good heritage of Japan's winter sports." Masahiko Harada said.
Japanese player Yoshitoshi Watanabe competed in the 4×5 km relay event of the Nordic team ski jumping big jumping at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong
Although the much-watched figure skating star Yu Yusuke did not reach the podium at the Beijing Winter Olympics, he showed a spirit of not being satisfied with his achievements, daring to take risks and constantly making progress. Masahiko Harada said he saw in Yusei Yusuke the sportsmanship of a good athlete.
Habu challenges Axel to jump around. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Cao Can
Since the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, Masahiko Harada has participated in five Winter Olympics as an athlete. At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Masahiko Harada won the gold medal in the men's team event of ski jumping together with his teammates. In 2006, at the age of 38, Masahiko Harada retired and later became a coach and tv commentator. At the opening ceremony of the 8th Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, in 2017, Masahiko Harada lit the main torch as the last torchbearer.
"As the general supervisor of the Japanese delegation to the Beijing Winter Olympics, I will do my best to help Japanese athletes play their due strength in the Winter Olympics." After the Beijing Winter Olympics, I will continue to lead Japanese athletes to challenge the World Series as a supervisor. Masahiko Harada said.
The strength of China's winter projects has increased rapidly
Masahiko Harada specifically mentioned the performance of the host Chinese athletes. The representative of Japan's winter sports field admitted that he was impressed by the performance of Chinese athletes in the Winter Olympics. After a close look at the performance of Chinese athletes in skiing and other sports, Masahiko Harada believes that the strength of China's winter sports is significantly improving, and it is believed that more and more Chinese athletes who perform well in winter sports will emerge in the coming period. "In the next Winter Olympics or the next Winter Olympics, Chinese athletes will shine in skiing and other sports."
As of press time, the Chinese delegation won a total of 14 medals in 8 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze at the Beijing Winter Olympics, setting a new historical record.