Madam President,
Sri Lanka believes that sports and international sporting events should serve as a platform to promote inclusiveness and cooperation among the community of nations. The importance of the Olympics as a significant global opportunity in this regard cannot be over-emphasised.
In 2018, Sri Lanka chaired the Social Forum of this Council which brought together many participants from around the world to discuss how sports and the Olympic ideal can contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and human rights. We hope that the Council and all stakeholders will continue further action in this direction.
The Olympic Charter unequivocally calls for the preservation and promotion of the independence and neutrality of the Olympic Movement. Therefore, politicizing sports goes against the spirit of the Olympic Charter and defeats the objective of sports and the Olympic ideal.
China was one of the first countries to bring the pandemic under control and achieve economic recovery, thereby creating conditions conducive for hosting the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. We look forward to the successful holding of these two sporting events in China.