2023-05-08 09:34
Authors: Ji Ye, Gao Peng, Dong Yixing, Wang Chujie, Gao Meng, Xu Shihao, Zhou Jijian, Xia Zilin
xinhuanet
Responsible editor: Wu Jing
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 7thTopic: I am very happy to feel the “great legacy” of the Beijing Winter Olympics——Interview with IOC President Bach
Xinhua News Agency reporter
International Olympic Committee President Bach arrived in Beijing on the 5th to start his China tour. Five days and four cities, Bach squeezed out time from his intensive schedule on the evening of the 6th and accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency. The 69-year-old “helmsman” of the Olympic movement talked about the fond memories of the Beijing Winter Olympics, when China can host the Olympics again, the challenges of e-sports entering the Olympics, and how to deal with the risk of the Olympic movement being politicized. Come on.
Talking about the Beijing Winter Olympics: There is more than one side to success
This is Bach’s second visit to China after the Beijing Winter Olympics. He said: “It is a great pleasure to come to China again after more than a year, to experience the great legacy left by the Beijing Winter Olympics in China and on the international stage, especially the promotion of winter sports is impressive. At the same time, (this times) I also have the opportunity to go to Hangzhou, Shanghai and Qufu, which will enrich my understanding of the Chinese people and China.”
On the evening of the 5th, Bach watched the official film “Beijing 2022” of the Beijing Winter Olympics in Beijing together with volunteer representatives and the main creative team of the official film, which brought back his fond memories of the Beijing Winter Olympics. What is impressive is that this event was held in a safe way, especially under the epidemic situation. It is really not easy to organize and hold the Winter Olympics under such conditions.”
The financial revenue and expenditure report of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee was released a few days ago, and the final balance was 350 million yuan, equivalent to about 52 million U.S. dollars. The International Olympic Committee also announced during Bach’s visit to China that all the balance (US$10.4 million) belonging to the International Olympic Committee will be donated to the Chinese Olympic Committee to support the development of Chinese sports.
Bach praised the financial balance of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee for the eventual surplus: “This is another manifestation of the great success of the truly unparalleled Beijing Winter Olympics. The Beijing Winter Olympics has not only achieved great success in sports, but also in heritage. It’s been a huge success not only financially but also financially. So we’re very happy to donate our share of the surplus to China to help keep the Olympic legacy alive in China.”
Talking about the 2036 Olympic bid: many places around the world are interested
Over the past 15 years, China has hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Regarding the topic of how long it will take for China to host the next Olympic Games, Bach said: “The bid from China is always the most popular, but now the host of the (Summer) Olympic Games has been confirmed until the 2032 session, so China is still waiting. There is time to think about when the next bid will be made, and the closest that will be is the 2036 Olympics.”
Bach revealed that although the 2036 Olympic Games are still 13 years away, there are currently “double digits of NOCs expressing interest in bidding for the 2036 Olympic Games”.
China will host the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Chengdu Universiade this year. This is China’s second international multi-sport event after the Beijing Winter Olympics. Bach said he plans to attend the Hangzhou Asian Games because “the Asian Games have a very special place and a great tradition in the Olympic movement, so I’m really looking forward to the Games and to seeing the great Asian athletes preparing for the Paris Games “.
Bach is very much looking forward to the many major international sports events to be held in China in the next few years. He said that China will play an important role in hosting international sports events, which shows the great confidence of the international sports community in China as the host and event organizer.
Talking about e-sports entering the Olympics: There are priorities and red lines
In recent years, the e-sports industry has developed rapidly around the world. The Hangzhou Asian Games will include e-sports as an official event. The International Olympic Committee has also discussed and tried e-sports many times, and has held Olympic virtual series. Among the 15 reform proposals in the “Olympic 2020+5 Agenda”, “encourage the development of virtual sports and further interact with the video game community” is also mentioned.
Talking about the prospects of e-sports entering the Olympics, Bach divided e-sports into three categories. The first category, which is the priority of the International Olympic Committee, is virtual reality sports, which require physical sports, such as cycling, rowing, taekwondo, etc. . Whether riding a bike at home (online) for a leg of the Tour de France or actually going to race, the body of the participant is exposed to (high-intensity) exercise and challenges. The second category concerns e-sports competitions played under the rules of the International Federations. For example, NBA basketball e-sports competition. The third category is the broader esports.
Bach said: “We can provide some help to elite e-sports athletes, because they gradually realize that in order to compete at a high level of e-sports competition, they also need physical fitness and mental health.” In terms of competition, the International Olympic Committee has a very clear red line, “Any game that is contrary to Olympic values, such as bloody and violent games or discriminatory games, the Olympic Movement has an absolute taboo on this.”
Talking about Russian and Belarusian athletes participating: making every effort
In March of this year, the International Olympic Committee suggested to the International Sports Federation and the International Competition Organizing Committee that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to return to the international arena as neutral individuals under the premise of complying with anti-doping regulations. It will be decided in due course whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics.
Regarding when is the “appropriate time”, Bach explained: “We are doing everything we can to complete the work so that athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports can re-enter international competitions. We are working very hard with the International Federations. Close communication. We very much hope that this work will be done under the (entry) proposals that have been identified. We will now need time to observe how these proposals are accepted and respected. Once we have a clearer understanding of the issue , then it will be time to decide (their participation in) the Paris Olympics.”
Bach has said repeatedly before that sport and the Olympics are at risk of being politicized. That risk appears to be growing now, as individuals and institutions continue to voice their calls to boycott the games on political grounds. But Bach said he has yet to see a decision to actually boycott the Games.
Bach pointed out that decisions such as who can participate in the Olympic Games and who cannot participate in international sports competitions must be made by responsible sports organizations and must be based on the values of sports, not the political positions of governments. However, the government also has the right to express their position, but they should also be aware that any form of boycott of the Olympic Games will only punish their own athletes and make their people unable to be proud of the wonderful performances of their own athletes in the Olympic Games. (Note-takers: Ji Ye, Gao Peng; Participating reporters: Dong Yixing, Wang Chujie, Gao Meng, Xu Shihao, Zhou Jijian, Xia Zilin)