'I really think it is terrible' - Double Winter Olympic gold medallist Nils van der Poel criticises Beijing 2022

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Published 16/02/2022 at 18:25 GMT

Nils van der Poel won gold in the men's 5,000 and 10,000 metres speed skating, producing two outstanding performances. Though describing the Olympic village as "very nice", van der Poel said "it is extremely irresponsible to give it to a country that violates human rights as blatantly as the Chinese regime is doing."

Double gold medallist Nils van der Poel has described the decision to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as "terrible".

The 25-year-old has now returned to Sweden after securing twin speed skating triumphs.

Though describing the Olympic village as "very nice" and the people of the country "absolutely amazing", van der Poel believes it was "irresponsible" to award China the Games.

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"I really think it’s terrible, but I think I shouldn’t say too much about it, because we still have a squad in China," van der Poel told SportBladet.

"The Olympics is a lot, it’s a fantastic sporting event where you unite the world and nations meet. But so did Hitler before invading Poland, and so did Russia before invading Ukraine.

"I think it is extremely irresponsible to give it to a country that violates human rights as blatantly as the Chinese regime is doing."

Human rights groups believe that China has detained more than one million Uyghur Muslims.

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A report released in June 2021 by Amnesty International accused Chinese officials of committing "crimes against humanity".

Asked if there had been discussion on such matters inside the Olympic Village, van der Poel said that most athletes are focussed on their attempts to win a medal, rather than the geopolitics surrounding the event.

"We are very focused on being athletes and we don’t talk much about world politics.

"The Olympic Village was very nice, the Chinese people I met were absolutely amazing. I had a very nice experience behind the scenes."

Van der Poel took gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres at the National Speed Skating Oval, setting a world record over the longer distance.

He has announced his intention to retire after the World Championships in March.

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