Agency :
Politicizing the Olympic Games will come to no avail but affect thousands of athletes who have spent years or even their lives preparing for the games, Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Ng Ser Miang said Tuesday.
“We believe that the Games itself build bridges, not walls,” he said in an interview with Xinhua in Singapore before departing for Beijing for the Winter Olympic Games that will kick off on Feb 4.
The Games itself provides opportunities for the whole world to come together, regardless of race, gender, religion and age, he added.
“It’s a really amazing platform to have constructive engagement rather than to have boycotts,” he noted.
There were boycotts of the Olympic Games in the past, which achieved no political objectives, except for affecting thousands of athletes who have spent years or even their lives preparing for the Games, and then only to have their Olympic dreams dashed because of politics, Ng said.
“We do not believe in politicizing the Olympic Games, and we welcome statements that would put the Games and athletes away from politics,” said Ng, who is in his second term as IOC’s Vice-President.
He said he was happy that the United Nations General Assembly adopted unanimously last December a resolution that calls for a truce during the Beijing Olympic Games.
Ng thought the resolution approved by the 192-member body unanimously was “an amazing achievement.”
In fact, Ng believed that amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the world needs the Olympic Games even more, where the best athletes in the world can come together to compete and to exchange views when traveling in many parts of the world has been curtailed because of the pandemic.
“Obviously, there will be diversity, but this is what we celebrate as well,” he pointed out.
Ng recalled that the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games was an amazing success and a very exciting experience for the participants, from the spectacular opening ceremony to the meticulous planning and organization that went seamlessly and fantastically.
“2022 Winter Games in Beijing is really built on the foundation and legacy of the 2008 Summer Games,” he said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has posed challenges to the world, affecting people’s lives as well as sports events over the last few years. Despite the very challenging circumstances, Beijing has put in tremendous resources over the last seven years to make preparations for the Winter Games, he said.
