Norwegian gullhåp wary of Beijing Olympics: – Hope it is not pompous – Aftenposten

Ida Njåtun about the awarding of the Chinese capital as the Olympic city in 2022.

During a congress in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was today clear that Beijing will host the Winter Olympics in 2022. The Chinese capital won the election in front of Kazakhstan Almaty.

– Both projects are of brilliant quality, said IOC President Thomas Bach before the final selection was made.

Skeptical skøytehåp

According to Reuters voted 44 in Beijing, while 40 voted for Almaty. Oslo was long in question to arrange, but Oslo municipality withdrew the application in September 2014 after they received government guarantees.

– We hope that Beijing makes a real Olympics and do not continue in the direction they started with in Sochi, says skater Ida Njåtun.

She can quickly become a gold contender in 2022 Olympics. She won namely 1,500 box under Allround Championships in Calgary in March and finished third overall in the same championship.

The expenditure for the Olympics in Russia last year was huge. When Beijing hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 2008, estimates one that it cost somewhere between 150 and 200 billion.

– I hope it does not become too pompous, but it is more emphasis on building plants that come to good later, says skater.

With the award being Beijing a historic town in the Olympic context. The Chinese capital is the first city which hosts both a Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.

– It is clear that one should not ignore the fact that it happens. They have put money in it before, it may soon happen again. There is a bit of risk when it is those countries that komkurrerer to organize the Olympics, responding Njåtun questions if she fears that the Beijing Olympics will be a new money, the.

– Hope and believe IOC deplore

The coverage in advance of the award has been marked by accusations of human rights violations. Now warns Gerald Folkvord, political advisor at Amnesty Norway, against the Olympics leads to human rights violations.

– Amnesty will basically never add up in the question of how it will be implemented, but we will however be very concerned that, in this case the IOC is aware of the challenges it will offer, and take an active responsibility to prevent it leading to human rights violations, says Folkvord to Aftenposten.

– We saw that the 2008 Olympics led that critics have ended up in prison, that many poor people were removed from Beijing’s streets to keep them away from the tourists, and many people lost their homes in connection with the construction. Many IOC claimed beforehand that it would improve the situation, we need determined that has not happened.

He says that he is optimistic ahead of the Games in Beijing, and that he “hopes and expects” IOC to take responsibility when it comes to human rights.

Youth Olympics in Lausanne

In addition to Oslo, was also Stockholm with the game at an early stage, but they withdrew the application in January 2014.

– Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports congratulates Beijing with the awarding of the Olympics and Paralympics in 2022. The award provides great opportunities to develop winter sports in a part of the world that do not have the same sport traditions of snow and ice like us here Norway, says idrettspresident Tom Tvedt.

Friday it was also known that Lausanne organizes the Youth Olympic Games in 2020.

Published: 31.jul. 2015 12:02