Interview: German Olympic boss in favor of strict safety measures at Beijing 2022

BERLIN, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- German Olympic boss Thomas Weikert said on Saturday that he is in favor of the strict hygiene measures implemented for the Beijing Winter Olympics in China.

"Overall, we have good reason to put our trust in the professionalism of all parties involved," the newly-elected president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) told Xinhua in an interview.

Before the German delegation took off for Beijing on Saturday, the 60-year-old said he is confident that measures have been taken for the benefit of all athletes, staff, and coaches.

"If you look at the system of the closed loop and how it has been further improved after the experiences of the Tokyo Games, I am quite confident that once we have made it into the loop, we will have the opportunity to concentrate on the sport," the former president of the German table tennis association stated.

The German Olympic leaders have regularly informed their team about the various implementations of anti-COVID-measures. "There will be hiccups along the way and we will deal with them," Weikert said. "It is all about limiting the virus spread."

Under the special circumstances this pandemic imposes, it is the German delegation's main goal to bring all team members to China and back in good health.

Weikert has also made a very clear announcement against the idea of boycotting Beijing 2022, saying that "the boycott has never helped anyone" when he was elected as the DOSB president in December last year.

"I cannot speak for neither other countries nor for politics. But I can repeat that I strongly believe a sports boycott would not be fair to the athletes," the official told Xinhua.

Weikert added that Germany hasn't given out specific goals for medals for the 2022 Games. The country hopes to end up in the medal ranking between second and sixth.

"It will be very difficult to remain within the top three nations, but what we hope is that every athlete will be able to bring in her or his best possible performance in a fair manner," the official said.

In Weikert's perspective, Germany must count on its strong tradition in bobsleigh and luge events, as well as in the Nordic combined and ski jumping events.

The Olympic Games is always about great surprises. Weikert said Germany is still cherishing the moment the country's ice hockey team made its way to the final four years ago.

"As many sports fans in China might know, my own sport is table tennis, so I embrace the opportunity to learn more about winter sports in Beijing 2022," the former World Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) president said.

Weikert said the Olympic Games is a great possibility for international exchanges. "I am looking forward to meeting many of my new NOC colleagues to discuss current developments in sports," Weikert said.