Danish speedster enjoying pace of village life

Danish speed skater Viktor Hald Thorup has given life in the Olympic Village a resounding thumbs-up and has had nothing but positive things to say about Beijing 2022.

"I'm so fortunate that I managed to qualify for the Winter Olympics and the athletes' village is a big plus to me," Thorup said.

The two-time Olympian took time out of his race preparations to share with Xinhua News Agency and his YouTube channel's subscribers his personal "emotions and experiences" as one of the athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Thorup holds Danish national records in the 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m distances, and he is a medal contender in the mass start event in Beijing.

"Very few people get to have that (Olympic) experience. And that's why I decided to share all the emotions, the entire trip," said the 27-year-old.

The Danish team arrived in China on a private flight. Thorup is one of 62 athletes (33 men and 29 women) competing in five sports. Upon landing in China, he noted the professionalism of the Chinese hosts' COVID-19 precautions as he passed through border control and collected his luggage.

"The Chinese people are really careful when it comes to how they're dressed in their equipment ... it also gives you a feeling of safety, so I kind of like that," he said.

Upon receiving his negative PCR test result, Thorup went out to explore the village, which he described as a world "completely closed to the public" but "pretty cool".

He described it as a relaxed environment, where "thousands of people, athletes, staff and volunteers" can roam freely "as long as they wear a mask".

He added that he greatly appreciated the Chinese volunteers, who help the athletes in fluent English and make the village "comfortable and convenient in many ways".

"My fiancee is Russian, and she's also here representing ROC in short-track speed skating. We will just hang out as if we were on a nice couple's vacation together, so that's a big plus for me."

Thorup was also impressed by what the organizers have done to make the Olympic Village feel like "an actual village ... Supermarkets, souvenir stores...there's a Pizza Hut. There's a KFC. There's a bank, a big gym, a lot of things to do－things to keep you occupied."

Xinhua