Countdown to Beijing 2022 | Poland's president says to "closely follow" Beijing Winter Olympics

WARSAW, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Polish president Andrzej Duda has said to "closely follow the competition in Beijing" in a recent open letter to his country's Olympic family ahead of the Winter Olympics.

The letter was read at the New Year's Meeting of the Olympic Family, which was held on Friday at the Olympic Center in Warsaw and attended by members of the Polish Olympic Committee, athletes and sponsors.

"I would like to congratulate all athletes on their achievements and wish them further successes. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank the entire staff for representing our country with dignity and for the wonderful emotions that strengthen our community," Duda said.

"We have another year of important competitions ahead of us, in less than a month the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will start. I wish the entire Polish Olympic Team great results and I would like to assure you that I will be closely following this competition," he added.

The Polish president had to cancel his presence at the Beijing Winter Olympics after he had tested positive with COVID-19.