Snowboard ace backs Beijing's 'perfect' organization

WARSAW－Polish snowboarder Oskar Kwiatkowski reckons the world is in for a real treat when China hosts next year's Winter Olympics.

"Despite the pandemic, the Beijing Winter Games will be perfectly organized and will be a great sporting celebration," Kwiatkowski, one of his country's most talented riders, told Xinhua.

"The Olympic atmosphere (in China) is something special. I'm convinced that China as the organizer will meet the expectations because this country is a power in the world."

Kwiatkowski won the parallel giant slalom at the 2019 Winter Universiade, but failed to get among the medals in his Olympic debut in Pyeongchang in 2018. Now, he is aiming for the podium at next year's Games.

"Today I'm a different athlete, I have experience and I approach the competition in Beijing with calmness," said the 25-year-old.

"I always aim as high as possible, so I dream of Olympic gold. I'm not afraid of anyone. The athlete's greatest opponent is himself or herself, but mentally I am ready for the Games.

"Recently I heard from a friend of our team that I'm performing very well and I could even finish fifth in Beijing. I thanked him for the compliment, but I want to achieve an even better result.

"My dream of simply making an appearance at the Olympics has already come true. Now I want to show how I have developed and how hard I have worked for four years. If I can achieve a good result in Beijing, all this effort will be rewarded. The whole world will be watching us, it makes me happy."

As part of Beijing 2022's comprehensive COVID-19 countermeasures, all athletes competing at the Games will need to be fully vaccinated－a decision backed by Kwiatkowski.

"I support the decision that Olympians must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The pandemic is a global problem and safety is a priority. Thanks to the need for vaccinations, we will feel more comfortable. We all know by now that vaccines really work. The past has taught us that this is the only way to beat the pandemic," he said.

Kwiatkowski also reckons the decision to limit spectators at the Winter Games to local residents is "not a problem".

"The Polish fans would watch the Winter Games on TV anyway. I don't think that if it were not for the restrictions, many of my compatriots would go to Beijing, probably mainly the families of athletes (would go)," he said. "I think we will feel the atmosphere of a great event anyway because we will meet the best athletes from other countries."

Xinhua