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Gao Tingyu, Zhao Dan named flag bearers of Team China for Beijing 2022 opening ceremony

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Speed skater Gao Tingyu and skeleton racer Zhao Dan of Team China have been named as the flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the team announced on Sunday.

The opening ceremony will take place at the National Stadium in Beijing on February 4.

Gao Tingyu of China competes in the men’s 500-meter speed skating race at the ISU World Cup in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, December 10, 2021. /CFP

Gao joined the Chinese national speed skating team in 2016 and made his Olympic debut in Pyeongchang in 2018. Having won the men’s 500-meter bronze medal, he became the first Chinese male speed skating medalist in the Winter Olympics.

Gao continued to refine his performance in the following years. He refreshed his personal best in the men’s 500m race with a time of 34.282 seconds at the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in February 2021. Then in the domestic event in September 2021, Gao further improved his time to 33.83 seconds.

In the previous legs of World Cup competitions, Gao kept his times under 34 seconds.

“I’m so honored to be the flag bearer of Team China for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony,” Gao wrote on Sina Weibo. “It’s exciting enough to compete at home, bearing the Chinese national flag gives me extra motivation. I have been looking forward to doing this for a long time. I will try to respond to this trust in me with my best performance in the Games.”

Zhao Dan of China competes in the women’s skeleton race at the World Cup at the Olympia Eiskanal in Innsbruck, Austria, November 19, 2021. /CFP

Compared with speed skating, skeleton is a relatively younger sport in China. Zhao was recruited by the Chinese national team in September 2018. In the franchise’s first Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, in January 2020, Zhao finished in seventh place.

Then at the fifth IBSF Intercontinental Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, in November 2021, Zhao secured her first IBSF race victory. Her best finish at the World Cup was 15th place.

“I felt so surprised and honored when I learned that I was chosen to bear the flag for Team China at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics,” Zhao posted on Sina Weibo. “I’m lucky enough to compete at home and now I am given another role. It gives me a bigger sense of responsibility and mission. I will cherish this trust in me, give full play to my potential and show the best of myself in the competition.”

 

Source: CGTN

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Russia says NATO preparing for potential conflict in Eastern Europe, Black Sea

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NATO’s activities in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region are focused on preparing its allies for a potential confrontation with Russia, said the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday, citing militarization activities in the region.

The Romanian authorities have previously announced their readiness to invest 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) into modernizing the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Constanta County. The base is set to expand into a military town capable of accommodating the families of 10,000 military personnel, with plans to create urban infrastructure, said the ministry.

Construction has begun in the southern part of the future military town, where access roads and a robust power grid are currently being built. The modernization of the air base could make it the largest North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base in Europe by 2040. The U.S. military has been using this base since 1999, it said.

“The expansion of the Romanian air base is yet another proof that the North Atlantic bloc continues its unrestrained militarization of Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry added that “the forced enhancement of coalition capabilities is also taking place in Poland and the Baltics.”

“Such activity by NATO members is provocative, exacerbates military tension along our borders and creates additional security threats to Russia. All this is aimed at preparing the bloc’s allies for a potential collision with our country,” the ministry said.

“We will monitor the developments in Romania, assess the emerging risks and take them into account during military planning,” the ministry added.

Source(s): CGTN

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Usable reserve will exceed USD 100 million by the end of this month: MMA

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Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamman, on Thursday, revealed over 900 undocumented immigrants have been deported as part of efforts to decrease the number of foreigners living in the Maldives unlawfully.

Speaking at a joint press conference held by Local Governance Ministry, Home Ministry, Maldives Immigration and Department of National Registration on Thursday – Shamman said two to three major operations are conducted every week to identify undocumented immigrants.

“We are removing them based on the capacity available at the detention centre. After their removal – the deportation of such individuals from the Maldives is proceeding at a fast pace,” he said.

Speaking further, Shamman underscored that there is a large number of foreigners involved in black market sale of US dollars in the Maldives – which he detailed is carried out near ATMs and through Viber groups.

Seven foreigners unlawfully selling US dollars in the black market were detained on March 15th in an operation carried out by Immigration’s Risk Intelligence and Legal Affairs and Enforcement and Compliance Division.

Shamman noted that some of these detainees have been deported already. Underscoring that some of the detainees lacked the necessary documentation – he said the documents have been requested from the embassy.

“As soon as the documents are received, they will be deported,” he added.

Source(s): sun.mv

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Over 900 undocumented immigrants deported: Immigration Controller

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Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamman, on Thursday, revealed over 900 undocumented immigrants have been deported as part of efforts to decrease the number of foreigners living in the Maldives unlawfully.

Speaking at a joint press conference held by Local Governance Ministry, Home Ministry, Maldives Immigration and Department of National Registration on Thursday – Shamman said two to three major operations are conducted every week to identify undocumented immigrants.

“We are removing them based on the capacity available at the detention centre. After their removal – the deportation of such individuals from the Maldives is proceeding at a fast pace,” he said.

Speaking further, Shamman underscored that there is a large number of foreigners involved in black market sale of US dollars in the Maldives – which he detailed is carried out near ATMs and through Viber groups.

Seven foreigners unlawfully selling US dollars in the black market were detained on March 15th in an operation carried out by Immigration’s Risk Intelligence and Legal Affairs and Enforcement and Compliance Division.

Shamman noted that some of these detainees have been deported already. Underscoring that some of the detainees lacked the necessary documentation – he said the documents have been requested from the embassy.

“As soon as the documents are received, they will be deported,” he added.

Source(s): sun.mv

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