"I think despite the condition of the pandemic, Beijing is doing a great job," said Philippe Praz, Consul General of Switzerland in Guangzhou, at an interview with GDToday on February 13, 2022.
Although Mr. Praz is here in Guangzhou and maybe a little bit far from Beijing, he is trying to follow the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games as best as he can in the newspaper and on TV. Mr. Praz believes that "the (Beijing 2022) Olympics are developing in good condition".
Skiing is Mr. Praz's favorite sport. He used to work as a ski teacher. A few days ago, he just taught children skiing at Sunac Snow Park in Guangzhou. "It was for me the first time that I had this kind of experience of indoor skiing," Mr. Praz told GDToday reporters, "I had a group of ten younger Chinese skiers at intermediate level and it was great fun."
Swiss community enjoys Winter Olympics in Guangzhou
On February 13, the Consulate General of Switzerland in Guangzhou hosted an event entitled "Swiss Your Way to 2022 Winter Olympics" at the Happy Monk, a western style bar right by the Pearl River. The event was to celebrate the performances of athletes from different countries during this important gathering happening every four years only.
Guests including Swiss people in Guangzhou, representatives of Swiss enterprises and local travel agencies were invited to watch the final of the men's giant slalom of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, a five-time Junior World Championships gold medallist, finished with 2 minutes and 9.35 seconds to bag the gold.
Jeremy Sargent, the founder of the Happy Monk, whose mother is from Switzerland, thought the game was amazing and full of excitement. He also indicated that this Olympic Games is a chance for the world to get back together, especially facing the challenge of the epidemic. "I think that's a really good impact of the Olympics, and having it here in China is exciting," said Jeremy Sargent.
Author: Holly
Editor: Wing, Monica, Jerry
