Pope Hails Paralympians, Refugee Athletes In Olympic Message
Feb 2, 2022, 9:55 AM
Pope Francis (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji - Pool/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kim Hong-Ji - Pool/Getty Images)
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is paying tribute to Paralympians and refugee athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics.
He’s offering his best wishes for a successful Winter Games and for sports to “make a more fraternal world.”
Francis made the comments Wednesday during his weekly general audience Wednesday.
#PopeFrancis expresses his hopes that the #Bejing2022 #Olympics would lead to the world becoming more united, fraternal, helping people build bridges of friendship and solidarity. pic.twitter.com/GGxSZjy3Px
— Catholic News Service (@CatholicNewsSvc) February 2, 2022
He said sports can create “bridges of friendship and solidarity” and that the “true gold medal” is one of solidarity among people of different nations, cultures and faiths.
Francis is a lifelong soccer fan who has long preached about the benefit of sports, particularly for young people.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
Beijing is the capital of China, with a population of more than 20 million people and the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic games. It is one of the largest cities in the world and 15 hours ahead of Mountain Time. There are 13 different venues in and around Beijing that will be used for the Winter Olympics. A total of 109 events will be held in 15 different sports, and there will be a lot of Utah locals competing for medals. Keep up to date with them at our Olympic headquarters.
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