By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The German team is approaching the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games full of optimism.
Dirk Schimmelpfennig spoke about repeating the 2018 result in Pyeongchang when Germany ended up second in the ranking with 31 medals as the second most successful nation behind Norway (39).
"Our goal is to cross the finish line as one of the top three nations," the German chef de mission said.
Schimmelpfennig said German athletes are continuing their intense efforts to secure a safe start in China. "Athletes from the start want to be as successful as possible, therefore they have followed strict hygiene rules for weeks now," the official stated.
The head of the team outlined the next goal is to enter the closed loop set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Chinese organizers "as it is the safest place on earth."
"At present, it seems harder to get safely through the remaining competitions in Europe as it might be to enter the bubble in China and deliver a satisfying Olympic competition," the German official commented.
Schimmelpfennig spoke about the efforts of the Chinese organizers and the IOC to set up a successful and safe Games.
"We will have daily PCR testing in China with a medical penal of international experts operating in the background to secure transparent procedures," he added.
The official said that testing and hygiene procedures in use correspond with the ones used at the Tokyo Games last year.
"We rely on the openly communicated and transparent policy to allow all international athletes to attend the well-oiled competition," the German said.
German athletes in 2018 were mainly successful in sports such as ski jumping, Nordic combined, biathlon, skeleton, bobsled and luge. ■
