IOC President says Beijing 2022 will ‘transform winter sports’

Next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing will be spectacular and will transform winter sports by introducing around 300 million Chinese to them, according to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

In a video address marking the one-year countdown until the start of the Games, President Bach noted that Beijing, which will be the first city ever to host both the Summer and Winter Games - after also hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics - was ready to deliver a “spectacular games” that will “transform the global scene for winter sports”.

Part of a series of events to mark the start of the one-year countdown, President Bach stated “one year from now, Beijing will write history as the first city ever to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games

“The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 will be a great moment to bring the world together in a spirit of peace, solidarity and friendship.”

Broadcast on national television across China, the special One Year to Go show also saw the unveiling of the design of the Olympic torch at a ceremony at Beijing’s National Aquatics Centre - the venue known as The Water Cube during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and now known as The Ice Cube.

The Chinese Government is used the 2022 Games to encourage the development of its winter sports industry, resulting in a huge build of capacity in recent years in terms of resorts and facilities.

China’s Xinhua news agency reported that President Bach said the Games “are bringing to life China’s vision to engage 300 million people with winter sports”, which will “transform the global scene for winter sports”.

The IOC statement marking the one-year countdown advised “there will be winter sports before the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and a new era of winter sports afterwards. This can already be seen from the numbers. Five years ago, there were only 460 ski resorts in China. This number grew to 644 by the end of 2019.”

President Bach said he was confident the Beijing organisers could pull off a successful Games in the face of the pandemic threat, adding “having seen how China is overcoming the Coronavirus crisis, we are very confident that our Chinese hosts will ensure safe and secure Olympic Games in full cooperation with the IOC.”

Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Games would be delivered on schedule.

Organisers, who have already completed the majority of venues, have promised a “joyful rendezvous upon pure ice and snow” that will commence on 4th February 2022.

Images: The ski jump facility for the 2022 Winter Games (top, credit:  Beijing 2022), Thomas Bach (middle, credit: IOC/Christophe Moratal) and promotion for the one-year countdown (below, credit:  Beijing 2022).