People's Daily Online, Seoul, November 11 (Zhou Yubo, Yang Fan, Cao Xiangyu) The 24th Winter Olympics will open in Beijing on February 4. At present, various preparatory work is proceeding in an orderly manner, and test competitions for multiple events are also underway.
Since Beijing took over the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018, the two Winter Olympics Organizing Committees have maintained close communication.
Li Xibeum, chairman of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, recently accepted an exclusive interview with People's Daily Online. He introduced the preparations of Korean athletes and expressed his expectations for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
As the preparatory work enters the final sprint stage, as a member of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Coordinating Committee, Li Xifan has increasingly frequent exchanges with relevant Chinese institutions.
During the Pyeongchang Olympics, the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee sent interns to South Korea to learn experience in event organization and broadcasting services. The cooperation and sharing between the two organizing committees has never stopped.
The "Eight Minutes in Beijing" at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has brought unlimited expectations to audiences all over the world.
Li Xifan said, "Most of the previous Winter Olympics were held in Europe and the United States, so it is of great significance for this event to fall in Asia."
As the first "Double Olympic City" in history to host both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, Beijing will open a new page in the history of the Olympics. The Beijing Winter Olympics will also make the most of the Olympic legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. .
Li Xifan said, "China has the experience of successfully hosting the Olympics. Facing the upcoming Winter Olympics, whether it is venue construction or manpower arrangements, China is fully prepared. This reflects China's determination to successfully host the Winter Olympics. I am He believes that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be a turning point, bringing the center of winter sports from Europe to Asia.” In addition, Li Xifan emphasized that the significance of the Beijing Winter Olympics is not limited to sports. “The successful hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics It has improved China’s reputation in the international community and accelerated the pace of internationalization of China’s economy. I think that taking this Winter Olympics as an opportunity, China will show the world its image as a powerhouse in science and technology. At the same time, the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee proposed the “deepening” The development of the sports industry' is also expected."
Speaking of Korean players’ preparations, Li Hee-fan said: “After the experience of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, South Korea’s dominant sports are no longer limited to short-track speed skating and speed skating, such as skating, curling, and snowboarding. Skiing, etc., have become hotspots that have received much attention. To prepare for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Korean athletes have conducted a lot of training, hoping that they can achieve excellent results in the competition. "At present, Korean athletes have been selected for many events. In the competition, he successfully won tickets for the Winter Olympics. For example, South Korea's Lee Yoobin won the women's 1500m competition in the Beijing Station of the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup on October 23 and became one of the most popular candidates for the championship.
At present, the haze of the new crown pneumonia epidemic has not completely dissipated, and prevention and control of the epidemic is still the top priority of the competition.
In this regard, Li Xifan said, “South Korea has already started the epidemic prevention model of'coexistence with the new crown virus', and the universal vaccination rate has exceeded 70%. I hope that by next February, the global epidemic will improve and the Beijing Winter Olympics will be more stable. The situation went smoothly."
Finally, Li Xifan expressed his expectation, “The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has strengthened the exchanges between China and South Korea in the field of sports, and the two sides have conducted useful discussions on diversified cooperation plans. Next year will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. I believe Beijing The successful hosting of the Winter Olympics will further consolidate the relations between the two countries."