BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chef de Mission for Norway in the Olympic Games Tore Ovrebo on Friday said the country has set the target of finishing top 3 on the medal tally at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, which is roughly one year away.

Norway plans to send a delegation of more than 300 people, including about 125 athletes for the 2022 Games, and eyes a top-three standing on the overall medal table, Ovrebo said via a video link at the celebration activity for the one-year countdown to Beijing 2022 held virtually by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing and Consulate General in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

As a winter sports power, Norway was the biggest winner at PyeongChang 2018 with a historic 39 medals, 14 of which were golds.

"This means the Norwegian people will have great expectations for what we are going to achieve in 2022," Ovrebo admitted.

The director of Elite Sport of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee pointed out that the pandemic has made the preparations difficult, and acknowledged that they will face tough challenges from competitors, a major time difference, high altitude and cold weather.

"But one thing we know for sure is that the organizing committee will present us fantastic facilities in venues," he said.

Chef de Mission for Norway in the Paralympic Games Zahl Pedersen noted that athletes with disabilities are faced with even great difficulties and they are giving "significant efforts" to get prepared with the support from the country's Paralympic Committee, which was among the very few individual Paralympic Committees worldwide.

Pedersen said the Norwegian Paralympic team will participate in all six sports and hopes to yield better results in Beijing than in PyeongChang, where they bagged eight medals in total.

The 13-time Paralympic gold medalist mentioned in particular the Chinese wheelchair curling team, who beat Norway in the final in PyeongChang, and said "we are very eager and engaged to beat China in wheelchair curling."

Norwegian athletes including speed skaters Sverre Lund Pedersen and Havard Lorentzen, freeskier Birk Ruud and curlers Shuster and Christensen shared their aspiration for Beijing 2022 in videos.

"I'm really looking forward to the Winter Olympics Beijing 2022. My goal is to ski in all three disciplines and I'll do my best. The dream situation will be three medals around my neck," Ruud said.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be held from February 4 to 20, 2022 and the Paralympics from March 4 to 13. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)