About two weeks ahead of the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, former NBA star Yao Ming, also one of the leading Chinese sports figures to back Beijing’s bid for the Beijing 2022, told the Global Times on Monday that he is confident that the Games will be a great success despite COVID-19 risks.
Based on the experience from the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games 2020, Yao said although there were a few confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Games were still successful. “The Japanese government put in a lot of effort and ensured that the Games were complete, even though there are certain positive coronavirus cases popping up from time to time. And we can build on that experience and improve,” Yao told the Global Times on Monday.
“At least we can ensure that we are above that level of COVID-19 response protocol,” he said.
Beijing city has beefed up COVID-19 prevention and control measures during the weekend after detecting one case of the more contagious variant of the virus, Omicron, in the city’s northwestern Haidian District.
Beijing also issued a notice on Sunday that from January 22 to the end of March, which is weeks after the end of the Winter Paralympic Games, arrivals to the capital city are required to take a nucleic acid test within 72 hours of arriving in the city, in addition to previous requirement of a valid test within 48 hours before arrival.
Yao said he is expecting the Winter Olympics to change how Chinese people are viewed, as when he recalled the Summer Olympics 2008, it has brought massive changes not only to Beijing but also to the entire country.
“As I come from the southern part of China, I wasn’t very familiar with the Winter Games, to be honest,” he said, noting that when he was young, he remembered his teachers would allow him and his classmates a day to play outside when it snowed.
“We are confident that from what learned in 2008, we will able to make full preparation for the Winter Games,” Yao said. “I know that some of you are concerned with the COVID-19 situation, the public health policy and so on, but I can assure you we will have a very good time.”
Yao Ming photo:Global Times
