Polish great backing Beijing to stage best-ever Games

Once in charge of Poland's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, legendary snowboarder Jagna Marczulajtis-Walczak "is keeping her fingers crossed" China will next year stage the best-ever edition of the Games.

"I believed we had a very good chance of success. It is a pity that several organizations in Poland put up resistance and created a negative image around the event," Marczulajtis-Walczak, who was chairman of the Polish organizing committee, said of her country's failed 2022 bid.

"Of course, I congratulate China on being given the right to host. They face a great challenge, so I keep my fingers crossed for them. I hope that these will be the best Games to ever be staged, and I wish the Polish athletes the best of luck and that they can bring home as many medals as possible."

Marczulajtis-Walczak competed at Winter Olympics in Nagano, Salt Lake City and Turin.

"In 1998 we made our debut at the Olympics in Nagano as snowboarders. There were great hopes for us in Poland, because we were among the world's best, but not in giant slalom. Our result was received with disappointment. However, I gained valuable experience," said the 42-year-old.

"The Olympics are a series of great memories. I dreamed of an Olympic medal, but each Winter Olympics was a beautiful experience that influenced my life. Performing at such an event is a reward for an athlete. Usually there is talk of a four-year preparation cycle, but after all, you work for the Olympics all your life," she added.

Marczulajtis-Walczak narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2002 Games, finishing fourth in the parallel giant slalom.

"The Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City was a breakthrough for me," she said. "I had to compete in a discipline in which I was not at my best, I had to work very hard to train in something that wasn't my specialty. It's as if the skater who performs best in the 500-meter discipline has to switch to the 5,000-meter race.

"Therefore, after the Olympics in Salt Lake City, I felt unsatisfied. On the other hand, I see fourth place as a great achievement."

Marczulajtis-Walczak is considered Poland's greatest ever snowboarder, with the country still awaiting her successor.

"I am proud of my every success. From the age of 2, I was led by my parents in sports and snowboarding was love at first sight for me," she said.

"As a 16-year-old I won the Polish Cup, and then I won the European senior championship as a youth. In total, I won 14 Polish championships. I do not count bronze and silver medals," she said.

Poland's ski jumpers remain the country's main medal hopes at Beijing 2022. However, Marczulajtis-Walczak believes that in her discipline the Poles have made some small steps and could jump to the highest level in the future.

"We have several promising snowboarders, for example Michal Nowaczyk and Oskar Kwiatkowski, who showed a high level in the World Cup," she said.

"If Poland's Alpine skiing and snowboarding were as well funded as ski jumping, we could count on an Olympic medal. However, I hope that we will be successful in Beijing. Nowaczyk and Kwiatkowski will surely fight for medals."

Xinhua