“To be sent to the Olympics is the dream of every athlete, and I have tried for eight years and will reach it for the first time,” Ahmadi told Xinhua at a send-off ceremony for three Iranian athletes.
Ahmadi said she hopes her Beijing trip will be “a good experience, both personally and professionally.”
Seyed Sattar Seyd and Hossein Saveh Shemshaki will also represent Iran in cross-country and Alpine skiing, respectively.
“Early in the morning, many people exercised in the cold weather, showing that they are very focused on health, mentally and physically,” Saveh Shemshaki recalled.
“I hope I can regain this kind of experience and become more familiar with the exercise habits of the Chinese people,” he said.
On the governmental level, Tehran has expressed its solidarity with Beijing in hosting this edition of the Winter Olympics, which will open in less than 10 days.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a recent interview with Xinhua that Iran will “represent at the highest level possible” in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Reza Salehi Amiri, president of Iran's National Olympic Committee, said he and Iranian Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Hamid Sajadi will join the athletes to go to China.
“Our presence has two messages: We consider sports as a platform for the development of relations between nations; no one can disrupt the will of nations for solidarity,” he said.