The Beijing Winter Olympics are approaching in huge strides, ahead of the opening ceremony on February 4, at the biggest sporting event since the summer games in Tokyo, the ones that in recent days and after the arrival of the Omicron strain in the Chinese capital, the question arises whether to postpone the games.
Whoever is trying to give the answers to this, the member of the International Olympic Committee Alex Giladi, and the danger of the chairman of the coordination committee for the upcoming Games, who will arrive in Beijing in the coming days, to stand closely after the final preparations.
"The facilities have been ready for a year and the Chinese are really very strict with the corona and they can be understood," Giladi says in an interview with Israel Today.
"Tokyo is Tokyo and Beijing is Beijing, language are much stricter, after in the summer after two weeks she could travel by public transport, here you are in the reflection from the moment you arrive until you leave. They also require vaccines, and those who are not vaccinated you enter 21 An isolation day at their hotel. "
Question Billions of dollars, can the Olympics be canceled?
"We do not know such a thing, but I could swear to you in 2020 that there is no power to move it, but who can say today what will happen in three weeks. Everything is already progressing, the broadcast franchisees have started working and the athletes will soon start arriving."
Their aspiration to reach zero adhesions is not a bit pretentious?
"It will not be zero, but they will also settle for something zero point."
Giladi.
He will soon finish his job, Photo: Danny Miron
How do you think Israelis connect to the Winter Olympics?
"It seems alienated from us, we have no snow. Ice we are starting to do more, but the Winter Olympics is something smaller, with 90 countries and only 4,000 athletes per nation 206 countries - 11,000 athletes in Tokyo."
On a personal level this is your last Olympics.
"She's last as a member of the Olympic Committee, but I'm also a member of the Paris 2024 Coordinating Committee, when according to what I saw in the papers that led me to be elected as an honorary member you actually have no right to vote, but are invited to all events."
Do you see in the near future an Israeli who could join the International Olympic Committee?
"First of all I very much hope so, but it depends on who votes for the members of the Olympic Committee, when needed not only the resume these are good connections and that she did something and I hope it will come. It is very important to us that it happens, To enter the World Cup and she was moved to London. "
Can we say that our situation has improved in this matter in recent years, also because of political agreements?
"The answer is no. It is a fact that an Algerian athlete was willing to be punished for life. Many athletes still refuse to compete against us. At first glance it seems so, but we need to keep working. We also have an open ear in the International Olympic Committee. Important. "
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