Switzerland proposes postponing the Beijing Winter Games due to the epidemic

a Less than a month before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing (4-20 February), the Swiss delegation suggested that it would be better to postpone it. Due to the large number of athletes currently affected by COVID-19 or in quarantine In the current wave of the micron variable.

“We don’t have much time until the opening ceremony, but we still have to discuss that possibility. If we don’t have the best athletes out there, it’s going to be very difficult,” he told national RTS television. Ralph Stoeckle, a retired curling champion and responsible for leading the Swiss representation.

Stoeckli emphasized that Many athletes were unable to participate in the Beijing 2022 qualifiers due to the high cases of COVID-19, which will deprive those games of many of the best winter athletes.

It is not an explicit request, but it will be necessary to discuss the possibilities and be open

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RTS indicates that The Swiss delegation will insist on this postponement at the meeting scheduled for Wednesday between the leaders of the International Olympic Committee. And the committees of the countries participating in Beijing 2022.

“It is not an explicit request, but it will be necessary to discuss the possibilities and openness. It is a very difficult situation for everyone, especially in Europe where there are countries that are very important in winter sports‘, recalculated Stoeckli.