GAMING THROUGH DIPLOMACY

The first major competition of 2022 is to be the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in China. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games is slated for February 4-22, while the Paralympic Games will be held on March 4-13.

Amid the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, as well as the emergence of new strains, the head of the Swiss Olympic Committee, Ralf Stockley, suggested that the Games be postponed. He told the International Olympic Committee (IOC): "Every day we hear about infected athletes. We can still discuss postponing the start of the competitions. If we don't have the best athletes at the Games, it will be difficult."

However, Chinese authorities said that the tournament will be held under new rules and postponement is out of the question. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian assured that the Beijing Olympic Games would go well despite the difficult epidemiological situation. "Regarding the impact of the Omicron strain, I think there will definitely be difficulties in prevention and control. But because China has a lot of experience in dealing with COVID-19, I believe the Winter Olympics will go smoothly and successfully," Mr. Lijian said.

New rules

Athletes of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and their coaches will arrive in the Chinese capital on special flights using Chinese and foreign airlines. Participating countries will not be allowed to book charter flights. The guests will be accommodated in the restricted area reserved for the Games.

The Closed Zone is equipped with a system to prevent contact between athletes arriving from abroad and locals. It will be operational from January 23 and will remain in force until the end of the tournament, covering entry/exit of athletes to/from China, transport, accommodation, competitions, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Athletes and members of delegations will only be allowed to enter competition venues, training halls and other Games-related areas. They will not be allowed to leave the designated areas. The Organising Committee believes that these measures will protect the health of athletes and members of delegations.

The IOC, International Paralympic Committee, and the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee have already disclosed the first version of the rules against coronavirus for athletes and journalists. It is indicated that athletes who have completed the full vaccination cycle will be exempt from the 21-day quarantine. As an exception, some unvaccinated athletes may also be exempted from the lockdown. Athletes will be tested every day. Similar to the Tokyo Games, they will be required to use a special software application to transmit their health information. Competitors and media representatives will not be allowed to spend the night elsewhere or go out for walks in the city.

Azerbaijan at the Olympic Games

Two athletes from Azerbaijan, figure skaters Vladimir Litvintsev and Yekaterina Ryabova, will participate in the Olympic Games. Before the tournament, another Azerbaijani athlete—Ilya Kostov—may participate by special invitation, a wild card. This news was announced by Martin Fornari, coach of the 17-year-old athlete of Bulgarian origin.

"Initially, he will compete to gain experience, as this is his first year in this age category. Kostov has already tried himself at various skiing competitions. He will be competing in a few more tournaments this month. The first two competitions will be held in France. He needs to score 80 points to get qualified for the Olympic Games, which will be difficult to do," Mr. Fornari said.

Azerbaijan's Chief de Mission for the Beijing Games is already known. This is Anar Baghirov, head of the International Liaison Department of the National Olympic Committee.

Chinese philosophy of medals

This is going to be the 24th Winter Olympic Games. Beijing will go down in the history of world sports as the first city to host both the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games. In 2008, Beijing hosted the 29th Olympic Games as well. This time $3.9 billion was allocated to hold the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Since Beijing has a previous experience in holding Olympic Games, organisers intend to use the previous infrastructure.

Competitions will cover 17 types of sports. This time, the IOC also added new disciplines to the programme. There will be 109 sets of medals, seven more than in Pyeong-Chang, Korea, in 2018. The Beijing 2022 medals have been named Tong Xin meaning "together as one". The design is based on Chinese ancient jade pendants with concentric circles. Front side of medals features five engraved Olympic rings and the inscription ‘24th Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022’ surrounded by patterns of ice, snow, and clouds. The reverse features the emblem of the Games and the full name of the Winter Olympics in Chinese engraved around the symbol. Medal boxes are made of bamboo. This should draw attention to the characteristics of the Chinese culture and to keep in line with the concept of an eco-friendly Olympic Games.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the competition will take place despite a diplomatic boycott of the Games by several nations (Britain, Canada, the US, and Australia). He said that the IOC respects political neutrality. According to Bach, the participation of country officials in the Olympic Games is their own political decision: "The IOC is always concerned about the participation of athletes in the Olympics. That's why we welcome the support the Olympic teams have received from their countries. It gives the athletes confidence.”

Azerbaijan will be represented in Beijing by a small delegation. The national team is yet to get medals at the Winter Olympic Games.