A few hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, IOC President Thomas Bach carried the Olympic flame on a section of the torch relay.
“This is a symbol that the world needs at this time of division and confrontation,” said the 68-year-old German head of the International Olympic Committee after the race.
Organizing two Olympic Games affected by the global Corona crisis in a short time was “a great challenge”.
The summer games in Tokyo, which had been postponed by a year, only came to an end on August 8, 2021. “We are in sport and see challenges as opportunities,” said the former Olympic fencing champion. “That’s why we live the Olympic motto: We’re going faster, we aim higher and we’re getting stronger.”
Sharp criticism of China’s human rights abuses
The torch relay and the Olympic flame are also a message of unity and perseverance. That’s not the only reason why carrying the torch was “a great feeling”: “Doing this shortly before the opening really got the adrenaline pumping and made me more confident about the Winter Games in Beijing,” said Bach.
Because of China’s human rights violations, there has been sharp criticism of the hosting of the Olympics in Beijing, which hosted the 2008 summer games. The USA, Australia, Canada, Great Britain and other countries have announced a diplomatic boycott.
The day before his run with the torch, Bach had again emphasized that the IOC and the games had to remain politically neutral.