The resident’s expertise at Outaouais has been recognized internationally for a long time. He will once again be co-chair of North Tracks Maintenance at the Beijing Olympics, having had a role at the Vancouver Games in 2010 and the role of Pyeongchang in 2018.

I am so excited to go to China for the Olympics, trust. This is the third time I’ve been preparing cross-country for the IOC.

In Beijing, skaters will compete mainly on artificial snow, as in the Nakertok Club. With his experience in this surface, Dirk van Wijk will ensure that the various courses meet Olympic standards.

The Chinese have already done a lot of work, there is a lot of snow. I just go there to polish the track before every day of the competition, defines the Gatineau inhabitant.

Dirk van Wijk will be making his third Olympic experience in Beijing.

Photo: Radio Canada / Giacomo Banico

The only downside: the specter of COVID-19 that threatens to spoil his Olympic experience if he catches it out of bad luck.

I’m a little worried about COVID. Maybe I’ll pick it up before I leave and not go or maybe I’ll pick it up there and won’t be able to work or go back to CanadaLongtime Nakkertok Club member warns.

In any case, he can count on some familiar faces to navigate this set of uncertainty.

We have three people from Ottawa Gatineau competing in the Olympics in cross-country skiing this year, I remember Dirk van Weijk.

In fact, Chelsea cross-country skater Laura Leclerc, Katherine from Ottawa Stuart Jones Gatineau’s Antoine Sirr both earned a place on the Olympic team. So to say that the NCR will be well represented in Beijing cross-country skiing would be an understatement.

With information from Giacomo Banico, CBC