International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (center), IOC member Zhang Hong (left) and Chinese snowboarder Liu Jiayu pose for a photo on Feb 10 after the women’s snowboard halfpipe final. (WEI XIAOHAO / CHINA DAILY)
Beijing’s success in hosting the Winter Olympics despite unprecedented challenges is an amazing feat, say foreign government officials, diplomats and experts.
“I compliment the Communist Party of China” that is leading the country in hosting the event, said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Pakistani Senate’s Defense Committee and a senator from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.
Sayed said that despite calls for a “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Olympics, officials of many countries have participated, making the event both a sporting and political success for China. Sayed notes that these officials came from a number of NATO member countries, along with representatives of European, African and Asian nations, as well as the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Swaran Singh, professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said it is “sad to see sports being politicized,” adding that “pushing politics into the Games has clearly once more made the spirit of the Games a victim of such myopic power politics”.
James Chin, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia, noted that the countries that undertook the so-called boycott are looking to create problems for China, even after the Olympics.
Pleased that the Winter Olympics have taken place as scheduled, the academic said everyone had been looking forward to the event.
Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan, said the staging of such a great event is always a matter of great pride for a nation like China, which has progressed by leaps and bounds ever since it held the 2008 Olympics. “It has been a great journey,” he added.
Munshi Faiz Ahmad, a former chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, said Chinese authorities are doing a good job of hosting the Games despite the extremely difficult situation caused by the pandemic.
He said the conditions for this year’s Winter Olympics, amid COVID-19, are not the same as those for previous Games. “We were also worried about some efforts by certain countries to politicize the Games. It is completely unethical and not good at all to politicize a sporting event like the Olympics,” he said.
Ahmad said the Chinese government has shown “tremendous strength in the face of these provocations”, and the world is confident the Chinese people’s preparations will ensure the event success. “I think that (China) is doing a nice job of hosting the Olympics,” said Ahmad, a former Bangladeshi ambassador to China. “We wish the Chinese government, Chinese Olympic Committee and Chinese people full success in hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.”
Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn was reported by CRI online on Feb 9 as saying the Games’ stringent anti-pandemic measures have set a perfect example for other countries that hold sporting events behind closed doors.
Phiphat said the opening ceremony was a splendid event as the organizers used many advanced technologies, and these were in keeping with the need for pandemic controls and the concept of environmental protection.
Phiphat said the Beijing Games have also stirred the interest of the Thai people in winter sports. He said he hopes the four athletes from the Thai delegation will set a good example for teenagers in his country.
Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports will fully support teenagers who wish to participate in winter sports, Phiphat said.
Yang Han in Hong Kong contributed to this story.
