Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.: The preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are satisfactory

Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily

Author: Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr

Editor's Note

Not long ago, Samaranch Jr., chairman of the Coordination Committee of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games of the International Olympic Committee, was interviewed by the guangming daily "Guangming International Forum PEN" to introduce the relevant situation on the progress of the preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The success of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics shows the world that it is possible to host the Games in the current COVID-19 pandemic. With the right response and the cooperation of all stakeholders, athletes around the world can unite and participate in sports safely.

As part of our preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, we have done a great deal of work to ensure that the Olympics can adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic. That's why we've designed more than 50 measures to maximize cost savings and increase efficiency. These measures are a continuation of the reforms introduced in December 2014 as part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 to make the Olympic Games more flexible, more sustainable, simpler organized and better adapted to the needs of host countries. Recently, with the adoption of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, these reform measures have been further strengthened. The main trends shaping the future of the Olympic Movement include solidarity, digitalization, sustainability, credibility, and economic and financial resilience.

Throughout the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, representatives of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committees, as well as the Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committees, participated in the IOC's Olympic Experience Programme (GEP). The program focuses on the main operations center, venue operations, specific requirements and operations of sports projects, and stakeholder operations. It is part of the IOC's long-term Information, Knowledge and Learning Programme, which aims to support hosts of the upcoming Summer or Winter Olympic Games in planning, hosting, post-event management and more. We have received very positive feedback from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics team participating in the program. I am confident that the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee will take the lessons they have learned in Tokyo and improve them to further improve their preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are progressing smoothly and satisfactorily, and the opening ceremony on February 4 will be held as scheduled. All competition venues have been completed and a series of testing events will be held from October to December 2021. Many non-competition venues, such as the Main Operations Center (MOC) and the Olympic Training Center (OTC), have been put into use, while the Main Media Centre (MMC) and zhangjiakou Mountain Broadcasting Centre (ZBC) were officially handed over to the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) in July last year.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are also making maximum use of existing venues, including those used at the 2008 Summer Olympics. A number of ice events, including figure skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey and curling, will be held at venues used at the 2008 Olympics, and the opening and closing ceremonies will once again be held at the iconic National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest.

Therefore, even before the official opening of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the organizing committee has already shown us the great progress they have made in the post-conference management of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Last winter, the number of Chinese participating in winter sports hit a new high. Since Beijing's bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2015, as of October 2021, 346 million people across the country have participated in ice and snow sports, achieving the goal of bringing 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports. According to the China Tourism Research Institute, there are now a total of 654 standard ice rinks in China (mainland), an increase of 317% since 2015; there are 803 indoor and outdoor ski resorts, an increase of 41% since 2015.

(Interview and collation by Xiao Lianbing of guangming daily newspaper international exchange cooperation and communication center, assisted by Song Juan of Samaranch Foundation)

Guangming Daily ( 2022-01-19 12th edition)