In December 2021, the 76 th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus the Beijing Winter Olympic Truce Resolution, which was co-sponsored by Jamaica and other 172 member states. This fully demonstrates the international community’s wide and firm support for the Olympic Spirit and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

We are just 12 days away from the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The whole world is looking forward to this
moment. China is well ready! Beijing is well prepared! All the 12 competition venues have been completed on time with high quality.

Two editions of the Playbook on pandemic response have been released to ensure the health and safety of all participants. Currently, the trial run of the Beijing 2022 Games-time closed loop system launched earlier this month has operated smoothly and effectively.

With the support and cooperation of all parties, China is fully confident to present a streamlined, safe and splendid Winter Olympics to the world.

Beijing Winter Olympics is convened at a critical moment when all of us are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympic spirit, which requires “mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play”, matches the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Beijing 2022 presents a golden opportunity for us to further deepen solidarity and cooperation among people of all countries, inject more confidence and strength into the world plagued by the pandemic, and work together for a better future.

Jamaica is a superpower in sports with many famous and great athletes who yielded amazing and historic achievements at Summer Olympics. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt commanded global attention by breaking the men’s 100M World Record and also made Jamaica famous throughout China. All the Chinese people cheered for him and shared the glory and happiness with Jamaican people. Jamaica could also be proud of its achievements at Winter Olympics. In 1988, Jamaica’s bobsleigh team made history by becoming the first team from the Caribbean region to compete at the Winter Olympics, inspiring the iconic film “Cool Runnings” and encouraging people around the world to pursue their dreams, despite the challenges.

Recently, Jamaica made histories with three bobsleigh teams heading to Beijing Winter Olympics and Mr. Benjamin Alexander to become Jamaica’s first Alpine skier at the Winter Olympics. We wish Jamaican athletes will make history again in Beijing since 2008 and make more histories in the future. Just as Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, “Wi likkle but wi tallawah”.

This year marks the 50 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica. China is ready to work with Jamaica to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields including sports so as to deepen our traditional friendship and people-to-people exchanges, bring more benefits to our two countries and peoples, and push forward our Strategic Partnership to a new level.

As members of the Jamaican delegation will set off soon for the wonderful journey to China, I wish all of them a safe, smooth and spectacular journey and great success at the Winter Olympics. The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year is around the corner, I also wish all Jamaican brothers and sisters and overseas Chinese in Jamaica Happy New Year, good health and every success in the Year of the Tiger!

Welcome to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Jamaica! Big up Jamaican Team! Big up Jamaica!

• H.E. Tian Qi is ambassador of China to Jamaica