Yang Han, Hong Kong :
With the Winter Olympic Games less than 10 days away, people across Asia, including government officials, business leaders and independent observers, are expressing their support to Beijing and offering their best wishes for successful conduct of the Games.
“It is a very meaningful thing to hold the Olympic Games, of which the goal is to pursue harmony,” said Woo Su-keun, president of the Korea-China Global Association in Seoul, who has been promoting the Beijing Games to South Korean people through various events since last year.
Woo told China Daily that it is necessary for the international community, which is heading toward division and confrontation, to unite at the upcoming Games in Beijing to find a way for reconciliation and concord against the backdrop of the Olympic spirit.
On Jan 25, South Korea officially flagged off its delegation for the Beijing Games, Yonhap News Agency reported. The country is sending 63 athletes – who will compete in six sports – and 61 officials to Beijing, with the athletic contingent led by Yoon Hong-geun, president of the Korea Skating Union, and the government delegation led by Hwang Hee, minister of culture, sports and tourism.
The Winter Olympics, which will run from Feb 4-20, will be spread across three locations, namely Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. Around 3,000 athletes will compete in 109 medal events across 15 disciplines in seven winter sports.
In Asia, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia are among the countries that have voiced their support for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
“I am very sure that Beijing is the place all athletes want to go to and achieve their dream,” Norza Zakaria, president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, said at a news conference on Jan 19.
Referring to the Games’ official motto “Together for a Shared Future”, Norza said the motto shows the core value and vision of Olympic sports and the goal of pursuing unity, peace and development. He said he fully believes that Beijing is ready to present the world a successful Winter Olympics.
Malaysia competed at the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2018 in Pyeongchang and will be represented by two alpine skiers at the upcoming Games in Beijing.
