Serbia backing China to deliver 'highest level' Games

BELGRADE - Serbia has backed China to stage next year's Winter Olympics to the "highest possible level".

Citing the nation's vast experience in organizing major sports events and its success in fighting COVID-19, Djordje Visacki, the secretary-general of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, expressed his utmost confidence that Beijing 2022 will wow the world.

"Bearing in mind all the experience that we have with China, as the organizer of great sports events, we have no doubt that these Games will be organized to the highest possible level," Visacki, a former Olympic rower who represented Serbia at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics, told Xinhua.

"Regarding the measures introduced by China in order to prevent the virus spreading during the Olympic Games, we fully support that, because, although the Olympic Games are very important to us, it is also important that they don't generate further spreading of the virus," Visacki said.

"Based on the information that we have, China is doing that at a very high level."

Visacki highlighted the importance of the Olympics for athletes and sports fans across the world, and said the Games are an opportunity to deepen ties between China and Serbia.

"It's a fact that (COVID-19) measures are restrictive, and that in these circumstances, perhaps there won't be as many meetings between sports organizations, for instance.

"But surely there will be an opportunity for this kind of communication to some extent, and we and the Chinese side will make use of it, bearing in mind that so far we have had very good cooperation with the Chinese Olympic Committee, and Chinese sports in general," Visacki told Xinhua.

Visacki noted how in recent years a multitude of Serbian coaches have enjoyed success working with Chinese athletes and teams, citing Bogdan Obradovic in tennis, and Marina Maljkovic in women's basketball.

"Surely we are honored when such a great sports country sees Serbia as a partner and sees experts from Serbia as people who can help the further development of sports in China. That's a great honor, but also an opportunity to further expand this friendship."

Asked to comment on the possibility of certain athletes boycotting the Games for political reasons, Visacki replied: "This is truly a political topic and it should absolutely be separate from the representation of sportsmen at the Olympic Games.

"The public often forgets that ever since antiquity the Olympic Games were held quadrennially and that all political tensions and even wars would stop during Olympic Games.

"Our mind was set on something more valuable and higher than general life. This is something I wish for all the kids in the world to have, regardless of what is actually going on around them politically or in any other way. In that sense, sport is the purest thing we can do today.

"There are a lot of challenges, like doping, cheating and many other negative things, like any other field in life, but then the basic values of sport are well-defined."

Xinhua