Carrying on the Olympic Spirit

Bertie Ahern

Prime Minister of Ireland （1997-2008） Co-chair of the InterAction Council

In 776 B.C.， a cook named Coroebus of Elis became the first Olympic champion in ancient Greece when he won the foot race known as the stadion. Since that time， sports have been one of the most exciting， enjoyable， and health promoting aspects of life.

In Ireland， the entire country cheered when we won six medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. We take tremendous pride as a sporting nation， with football， rugby， hurling， and racing among our favorite pastimes.

To see young women and men train hard， train long， and overcome significant challenges to achieve excellence is an inspiration to us all. The Olympic motto of“Faster， Higher， Stronger -- Together” highlights another important aspect of the games： It is not just about athletes competing at the highest level； it is an opportunity for the global community to celebrate our shared humanity.

The InterAction Council applauds all the athletes on their journey to the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. As the Olympic creed reminds us， “The important thing in life is not the triumph， but the fight.”Best wishes in your pursuit of victory！

Georgios Iliopoulos

Ambassador of Greece to China

I feel particularly honored to address the readers of China Today on the special occasion of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Both Athens and Beijing will be among the few cities in the world to have organized and hosted the Games twice. The XXIV Olympic Winter Games will bring our nations and peoples together for yet another time. Our countries once collaborated closely around the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games， as Greece greatly assisted China at that time in hosting a very successful Olympics. Today， given China’s rich experience， we are confident that the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be also a very successful world-class sports event！

The Olympic flame will be soon lit again， for a second time after the 2008 Games， at the Beijing National Stadium， during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The flame represents the spirit of the Games given by Greece to the whole world. It conveys both the values of the ancient Olympiads in Greece and those of contemporary Olympism： excellence and achievement， noble competition and respect， truce and friendship. These values have been bestowed to China with the passing of the flame from Ancient Olympia to the Beijing 2022 organizing committee in October 2021， in Athens. It is our sincere hope that these Olympic values will be honored by all Games participants. These values should inspire us in the broader international arena and in the wider environment we all live in， so that we can achieve more through cooperation， fair competition， and peace！

John Aquilina

Ambassador of Malta to China

On February 4， 2022 China will create world history when Beijing becomes the only city in the world to have hosted both Summer and Winter Olympics.

This outstanding achievement highlights the initiative， motivation， and expertise of China and its people. It also says a lot about China’s commitment to promoting the ideals of sport as a way of achieving peaceful international competitive interaction.

The hosting of two major Olympic events within 14 years is unprecedented.

Preparing for a major Olympic event is always a difficult task. The mustering of relevant personnel， the commitment of funds， and the construction of the outstanding venues are extremely complex. However， the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics have been made even more complex by the onset of COVID-19.

Despite the additional problems created by the pandemic， the plans have proceeded on schedule， and Beijing is on-line and on-time to showcase yet another spectacular world-class event.

More than ever， during these troubled， difficult times the world needs leadership and determination to show that despite our differences， despite worldwide problems such as COVID-19， we can all come together in the pursuit of goals which enhance the common good for the world.

I join the millions of other people around the world in extending my best wishes to China and Beijing in the staging of a Winter Olympics， which will not only showcase outstanding sporting achievements， but also promote world harmony and peace.

Mohamed Al-Dehaimi

Ambassador of Qatar to China

The year 2022 will be special to both China and Qatar as it will witness two major world sports events — Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Doha FIFA World Cup. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the Chinese government and the Chinese people on the upcoming Olympic Winter Games.

It is my hope that this will be a spectacular event not only for the athletes competing on the snow-capped mountains and ice rinks， but also for the Winter Olympic aficionados as well as people all around the world to demonstrate the age-old undaunted spirit of sports.

For the 2022 World Cup， the preparations have been a success. Eight football fields with distinctive styles and originality have already been completed. The “Arab Cup” football match is in full swing， and a wonderful Arabic-style World Cup will soon be written down in the history books.