Peking University, February 10, 2022: Let me start with some historical background. Winter sports have been an important part of Swiss culture for more than a century. Switzerland hosted the Olympic Winter Games twice, in 1928 and in 1948, in an era when the games were not yet the commercial vehicles that they have become in the past decades.

The games that burnt themselves deeply into the collective memory of Switzerland were those of Sapporo in 1972. The surprising success of the Swiss athletes in those games sparked the Swiss frenzy about alpine skiing that continues to the present day. A young Swiss sunnyboy, Bernhard Russi, won the gold medal in the men's downhill ski competition and soon became the most popular ski athlete in Switzerland. Later, after his sports career he became the architect of downhill pistes all over the world. Essentially every downhill piste of the past Olympic Winter Games was designed by him, including the one of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Yanqing, which is his final piece of art before retirement.


As a happy coincidence on day 2 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the men's downhill ski competition in Yanqing was won by the Swiss pre-race favorite, Beat Feuz. During the competition, Russi was seen sitting high up on a solitary rock from which he had an excellent overview over the race.

As a consequence of the success in 1972, the school education in Switzerland includes a lot of winter sports, including alpine skiing, cross country skiing, and ice skating. As part of it, every winter every school in Switzerland sent the kids at the ages of 6 to 15 for one week into the Swiss Alps to go skiing. This is how I learned skiing and I enjoyed it immensely. I think that my interest in winter sports roots in all these childhood experiences in school and at home watching ski competitions on TV. I have closely followed all the Winter Olympic Games since I was a kid.


Now, having lived in many places all over the world, it is the first time that I happen to live in the host city of the Winter Olympic Games and, evidently, my curiosity was piqued. Given this background, I was very excited when I had the opportunity last summer to join an activity organized by the BPAFFC (Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) to visit the sites of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Shougang Park, in Zhangjiakou, and in Yanqing. I was both impressed and shocked by the efforts that were made to make these games possible in such an unsuitable region lacking completely of natural snow.

Of course, the subsequent highlight was the opportunity to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the National Stadium. It was my first time to be near and inside the ``Bird's Nest'' that I consider one of the most beautiful buildings in Beijing. I was surprised to see how lightweight and filigree the construction designed by the world--famous Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron is. The best part of the opening ceremony was the parade of the athletes of the 91 participating nations. To many people this seems boring, but in my eyes, the Olympic Games are about sports, competition, and, above all, the athletes. They deserve all the attention. I'm now looking forward to successful games with fascinating competitions.

Last but not least, my sincerest thanks go to BPAFFC, in particular Hong Jie, and the CPAFFC (China People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) who made it possible for me to attend the opening ceremony -- as well as an ice hockey game -- of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Introduction:

Emanuel Gilbert Scheidegger, associate professor, Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research

Written by: Emanuel Gilbert Scheidegger
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
Source: Office of International Relations