There has been great curiosity over whether members of Europe’s royal families will soon travel to China to attend the Winter Olympics. This week it has become known that the Norwegian royal family will not send any of its members to Beijing in February. The Norwegian royal family published an announcement through the royal court on January 18th 2022.
They said: “This year, the Royal Family will follow the Winter Olympics and cheer on the Norwegian athletes in front of the TV screen. The royal family, like large parts of Norway, will follow the games with great joy. The royal family wishes the Norwegian athletes and support staff good luck in Beijing”.
It was previously announced that King Willem-Alexander will not go to China either. In December it was announced that he had decided that “a long time ago”.
Previously, the vast majority of the Olympic Games that have been held have had the participation of one or more members of the Norwegian royal family. King Harald and Queen Sonja in particular have been keen to show their support for the Norwegian athletes by participating in sports that are important to Norway.
The Olympics and the Paralympic Games in Beijing will not take place with international audiences, and the very strict travel and infection control rules during the Olympics have made a visit to the Games difficult to carry out.
King Harald is himself an Olympic athlete. The king has been sailing for a number of years, and has many merits from his time as Crown Prince. He represented Norway in sailing during the Summer Olympics in 1964, 1968 and 1972, and carried the Norwegian flag during the opening ceremony in Tokyo in 1964. In 1987, the then Crown Prince and his crew became world champions in sailing. His Majesty the King owns several sailing boats and is an active sailor even though he is more than 80 years old.
