Keeping the Olympic torch alight amid the pandemic

“I will welcome you in China for the 2022 winter Olympic Games,” said Yang Yang, China’s first-ever Winter Olympics gold medalist and Chairperson of the Athlete Commission of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee.

In less than 11 months, the Beijing Winter Games will open. The final stretch for the organizing committee include testing events but also ensuring that the pandemic doesn’t get in the way. CGTN Host Tian Wei speaks to Yang to find out how she and the rest of the organizing committee will support athletes in making their sporting dreams come true.

A 23-year veteran in speed skating, Yang is very sympathetic to athletes around the world who are concerned for their athletic opportunities amid the pandemic. And she said that in her 23-year career, she has never experienced this. But she can understand how hard it is for the athletes who prepare for the Olympics, one of the challenges they have to face is to keep in good shape, train and try to get support from National Olympic Committees or even from the International Olympic Committee. Perhaps the most important thing she wants to tell them is that they don’t give up their dream.

The Beijing Winter Games is happening amid a global pandemic, but also amid political tensions stirred up by some Western nations. The calls for a boycott to the Beijing games are nothing new, as its similar to stunts prior to the Beijing Olympic Summer Games in 2008. Yang said that these making such a noise are only trying to politicize sports for their own agenda. She is confident that Beijing will host a successful Olympics and provide the best conditions for athletes to make their dreams come true.

Yang is playing a universal role. Apart from being a veteran athlete and a member of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, she is also a member of China’s top political advisory body the CPPCC. She advises the government on how women can balance their family lives with sports. She credits sports as providing not just glory but also a skill to pass on to her children. She encouraged more women to participate in sports to boost both their physical and mental health.

The pandemic and political tensions have kept nations and people apart. The Olympic torch lighting up the Beijing Winter Games is a beacon of hope to a united post-pandemic world.

World Insight with Tian Wei is an international platform for debate and intelligent discussion. It is the meeting point of both the highly influential and rising voices, facilitated by host Tian Wei. It provides nutrition to form your own thoughts and ideas through a 45-minute live debate and interviews.

(CGTN)