Hangzhou, September 9 (Reporter Li He, Shen Yishan and Wu Liujing) "Samaranch has an extraordinary friendship with China, China and Samaranch. In an exclusive interview with China News Agency and China News Network a few days ago, Juan Antonio Samaranch (hereinafter referred to as Samaranch Jr.), son of IOC lifetime honorary president Samaranch and current IOC vice president, said emotionally.

On the occasion of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Samaranch Jr. came to China again, admitting that he has high expectations for this Asian Games and believes that Hangzhou will do a good job, "It is always easiest to cooperate with China, because you know they will do well." ”

Samaranch Jr., who arrived in Hangzhou before the opening of the Asian Games, said the opening ceremony must be one of his focuses. Even before the opening, he couldn't stop marveling – Samaranch Jr. attended the luncheon, and he recalled that the lunch was fantastic, the banquet hall was elegant, the dishes and drinks were of high quality, the food was beautifully presented, and he took pictures of the lunch menu.

Infographic: IOC Vice President Samaranch Jr. Photo by Cui Chen

Samaranch Jr. said he has high expectations for the Hangzhou Asian Games. "I visited Hangzhou about 6 to 8 months ago and was very impressed. Everything was ready at that time, and today, the preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games can no longer be described as just 'ready'. ”

"You need to know that hosting the Asian Games is a huge organizational work, but in terms of accommodation, transportation, from all the aspects I saw from the first day I arrived in Hangzhou, there is no doubt that the Hangzhou Asian Games will be an excellent example of the organization of events."

Samaranch Jr.'s high evaluation is not only out of emotional recognition, but also because he has deeply worked with China on behalf of the International Olympic Committee. At the Beijing Winter Olympics more than a year ago, Samaranch Jr. served as Chairman of the IOC's Beijing Winter Olympics Coordination Committee.

"It is an honor for me to take on this role. When people ask me how hard it is to do this, I always say it's the easiest task I've taken on at the IOC. When the organizer is an organization or association from China, you can always sleep soundly because you know they will do a good job. Samaranch Jr. said.

Since 2022, from the Beijing Winter Olympics, to the Chengdu Universiade, and now to the Hangzhou Asian Games, a number of international large-scale comprehensive events have been held in China, and the 2025 World Games will also be held in Chengdu. Samaranch Jr. praised China's ability to host tournaments, saying that many individual sports associations are highly "dependent" on China's ability to host tournaments, and he also sees China as "the most important force in the world".

"China has hosted many multi-sport games, and many international individual sports federations are very 'dependent' on China and the Chinese people, and you have excellent ability to organize events. Many individual World Championships and World Cup events have settled in China, and China may be the country with the largest number of events in the world and the most important hosting force in the world. ”

He said frankly: "We rely heavily on China, and whenever we need it, China will always help, and we feel very grounded." ”

With the official opening of the Hangzhou Asian Games, he will also be involved in it. Samaranch Jr. said that in addition to watching the opening ceremony, he also plans to visit several main venues of the Hangzhou Asian Games, including the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, and also plans to go to Ningbo to watch the sailing competition.

In addition, he said that the gymnastics competition at the Asian Games is an event that he will definitely watch. "The Chinese team, the Japanese team, and the Korean team are all strong gymnastics teams, and the level of gymnastics in Asia is very high, I like it very much, and I will definitely go to watch it live."

Data map: On August 1992, 8, Samaranch congratulated Deng Yaping, who won the Olympic table tennis women's singles championship, and personally presented her with an award. Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhao Wei

During the speech, Samaranch Jr. showed a deep understanding and high identification with China. He said that the name "Samaranch" and China meant extraordinary friendship.

"I inherited something very important to my family, which is the extraordinary friendship between Samaranch and China, my father passed away in 2010, but we want to continue the friendship between Samaranch and China. That's why we established the Samaranch Foundation. Through this foundation, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the many opportunities in my private personal life, I have probably been to China 2012 to 60 times since 70. I can't describe how comfortable I am in China, but if you come here so often, it's not to fulfill promises, it's to walk around with friends. ”

Can this feeling be described as a "second home"? Samaranch Jr. replied in the affirmative without the slightest hesitation: "That's it. (End)