LJUBLJANA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games is expected to be well-organized and well executed, the president of the Slovenian Olympic Committee Bogdan Gabrovec said on Monday.
"Considering the culture of the Chinese I believe that the hosts will do everything in their power to make athletes and other members of the national (and regional) teams feel safe and to keep sports as a priority," Gabrovec told Xinhua in an interview before travelling to Beijing.
"The new coronavirus and its Omicron variant are not easing their work and I believe they prepared several scenarios for the correct execution of the largest sporting event. The rules are clear and strict and I believe there will be no major problems if we all abide by them," Gabrovec added.
He said that his colleagues who have already travelled to China reported that they had no problems regarding travel, COVID-19 countermeasures, accreditations and other procedures.
In his opinion, athletes, who have attended previous Games, will have to abide by the strict rules imposed at the Beijing Games.
"Strict measures, safety distance, prohibition of exits from the Olympic village, all these are a new reality of the Olympic Games... But we have no choice if those are the conditions for holding the Games. The rules are the same for all."
He said that athletes adapt fast and that they have become accustomed to competing without spectators on the ground over the past two years. "They miss spectators but are aware that at the moment this is the only way for the sport to go on," Gabrovec said.
According to Gabrovec, sports has an important role in pandemic times as it is "saving us, encouraging us, giving us motivation and a push for a better future," he noted, adding that the Games will give people a chance to forget the epidemic for a few weeks.
He did not want to speculate on how many medals Slovenian athletes could win. "I can only say that our national team is well prepared and has a supreme supporting team."
Slovenia has a population of 2.1 million and has won 17 medals at the Winter Olympics since independence in 1991. The country is sending 39 athletes to Beijing who will compete in six disciplines. ■
