Preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have entered the final sprint stage. Yu Zaiqing, vice president of the International Olympic Committee and vice chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, said in an exclusive interview with a Xinhua reporter a few days ago that it is the right choice to grant the right to host the Olympic Games again to Beijing, and said that if there is still a chance to host the Olympic Games in the future, I believe that at least 10 or more cities in China have the ability to host the Olympic Games.
On October 19, 2021, at the Panathinako Stadium in Athens, Greece, Yu Zaiqing, Special Representative of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, displayed the Beijing Winter Olympic Torch. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Huansong
Talking about the "Double Olympics": It is the right choice to grant beijing the right to host the Olympic Games again
Beijing is about to become the world's first "double Olympic city" to host both winter and summer Olympic Games.
Yu Zaiqing said that when the IOC evaluated the host cities of the 2008 Olympic Games, it had a sentence, "If the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games is handed over to Beijing, Beijing will leave a unique legacy" and "(Facts have proved) that this evaluation is correct."
By hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, China has gained a better understanding of the Olympic movement and has accumulated rich experience in hosting the Winter Olympics, for example: "The Winter Olympics were jointly organized by Beijing and Zhangjiakou, and the distance between the competition areas was long, but this problem was solved with the construction of high-speed rail. ”
On January 6, at the Prince Edward City Station of the Beijing-Zhang high-speed railway, a reporter took a group photo in front of the carriage of the G9981 Beijing Winter Olympics train. Photo by Ju Huanzong, Xinhua News Agency
In the context of the global epidemic, the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Winter Paralympic Games have encountered new challenges, and Yu Zaiqing expressed confidence: "China's control of the epidemic is the best in the world, and we are very assured that we will not add any burden to China in terms of epidemic prevention because of the Winter Olympics." So although the Beijing Winter Olympics have not yet been held, I am sure that it will be a complete success. ”
Based on Beijing's rich experience in hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, China's in-depth understanding of the Olympic Movement and China's outstanding performance in epidemic prevention and control, Yu Zaiqing believes that it is the right choice to grant beijing the right to host the Olympic Games again.
Talk about heritage: "Olympic legacy" is in the same vein
Yu Zaiqing said that the Olympic legacy refers to the long-term interests created by the Olympic Games for the host city, the local people and the Olympic Movement before, during and after the end of the Olympic Games, and is mainly divided into three aspects: social heritage, cultural heritage and sports heritage.
"The investment we made in the successful hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, such as infrastructure, road transportation, etc., are social heritage; in terms of cultural heritage, during the Beijing Olympic Games, we promoted the Olympic spirit and spread the Olympic ideals in primary and secondary schools, and selected more than 500 Olympic demonstration schools."
Interior view of the Capital Gymnasium on January 12. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Wang Yang)
In addition, Yu Zaiqing believes that the Beijing Winter Olympics made full use of the legacy of the 2008 Olympic Games in the preparatory process. He gave an example: "The Bird's Nest is the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games; the Capital Gymnasium was a volleyball hall in 2008, this time a venue for short track speed skating and figure skating; and the Water Cube transformed into an ice cube and will host curling events." ”
In addition to the in-depth use of the 2008 Olympic legacy, this Winter Olympic Games will also leave a far-reaching Olympic legacy. "The focus of this heritage is to popularize and promote ice and snow sports, promote the development of the sports industry, especially the winter sports industry, and greatly increase the proportion of the sports industry in the national economy." Yu Zaiqing said. In response to the news that the number of participants in ice and snow sports in the country reached 346 million recently announced by the National Bureau of Statistics, he said: "This is the most important heritage and it is also very exciting news. ”
Talk about the impact: At least 10 cities in China can host the Olympic Games
Yu Zaiqing said that in the process of preparing for the Winter Olympic Games, the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee and the Coordinating Committee of the International Olympic Committee maintained close working contacts. The Coordination Committee reported the situation in the coordination process to the IOC Executive Committee in a timely manner, and China's ability and standard of hosting large-scale international multi-sport events has been widely recognized by the IOC. Under the background of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee will do a good job in epidemic prevention and control, ensure simple and safe hosting, and Beijing will present a wonderful Olympic event for the world.
On January 15, Cai Qi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, met with IOC President Thomas Bach by video. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Zhonghao
Yu Zaiqing also specially introduced that for the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, IOC President Bach expressed great satisfaction and repeatedly said that he "looks forward to the complete success of the Beijing Winter Olympics."
"China's bid to host the Olympic Games, a top-notch competition, will play a very important role in improving our country's international status and enhancing our influence in the world." Yu Zaiqing said, "If there is still a chance to host the Olympic Games in the future, I believe that at least 10 or more cities in China have the ability to host the Olympic Games, and spare no effort in promoting the Olympic Movement, promoting the Olympic spirit and spreading the concept of peace." ”
(Original title: IOC Vice President Yu Zaiqing: Granting the Right to Host the Olympic Games to Beijing Again is the Right Choice)
Source: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Process Edit: TF010