ITJ 47-48/2021
Dear readers,
The ball will be rolling at the football World Cup in Qatar a year from now. Switzerland has qualified and can already start planning its trip. The logistics of the venture also have to be mastered. And then there’s this virus and all the vagaries it brings with it to deal with too...
As was already the case with Tokyo 2020 / 2021, Covid-19 is preventing the forthcoming Winter Olympics, scheduled for Beijing (or up to 100 km away) in February, from proceeding normally.
The 2008 Olympic Stadium, designed by the Basel architect Herzog & de Meuron, is still standing in the Chinese capital. But a provisional ‘House of Switzerland’, traditionally a place to meet up, exchange news, and network, isn’t worth the effort – neither financially (CHF 4.7 million) nor logistically.
There’s no question, in contrast, that this issue of the ITJ is worth reading. It’s true that the Antwerp XL heavylift trade fair was cancelled shortly before the editorial deadline. But the insights provided by our multi-page Breakbulk/Heavylift special are all the more valuable.
Our Italy Special, which appears in Italian too for the second time this year, is printed as a separate supplement.
No matter how things develop in the coming weeks – information, communication and networking have never been more important. Stay tuned – with the ITJ!
