On the occasion of the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, at noon today, IOC President Bach once again accepted an exclusive interview with reporters at the Bird's Nest Studio of the Central Radio and Television Corporation.
Reporter: At the 139th Plenary Session of the International Olympic Committee held yesterday, you awarded the Olympic Cup to all the Chinese people to thank the Chinese for their outstanding contributions to the Beijing Winter Olympics. The Beijing Winter Olympics have aroused unprecedented attention in China and the world, showing strong cohesion in making the world "more united" in the world today, and the international community is more sympathetic to the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. A Pew Research Center report released earlier this month showed that more than 90 percent of Americans had not or had little to no hearing of a "boycott" of the Winter Olympics, despite what some had previously claimed. For the international Olympic movement and the world today, what important historical significance do you think this Winter Olympics will leave behind?
Bach: First of all, this legacy is the legacy of the Winter Olympics, and these winter sports will be hugely changed through the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, because we already have 300 million people in China participating in ice and snow sports. Winter sports will have great potential, and the International Federation of Winter Sports is very happy to see this result, and has also agreed with all relevant parties in China to make winter sports not limited to the Winter Olympics, but sustainable.
In this event, our athletes truly showed their spirit and showed us friendship, understanding and peace. For example, athletes from Ukraine and Russia can hug each other, for example, I also saw Chinese athletes show support to American athletes, giving them an Olympic badge to show their hospitality. We also saw that at the opening ceremony, many athletes also clapped their hands to Chinese volunteers, and there are many such examples that show us that the Olympic Games can transcend political strife.
Reporter: Before the start of the Winter Olympics, China has achieved the goal of 300 million people participating in ice and snow sports proposed by President Xi Jinping, and you said at a press conference the day before yesterday that China will move towards the goal of 500 million people participating in ice and snow sports.
Bach: We believe that winter sports can definitely change some of the way people live, and more sports also means that the lifestyle and the body are healthier, and this health is not only physical health, but also mental health, so we can see that during the epidemic, mental health and physical health are more important, which can help us cope with some of the limitations of the epidemic.
At the social level, we see that more young people now understand the value of sports through sports: unity, respect for rules, learning, team spirit, constantly exploring and even breaking their limits in sports. For the sports industry, the Winter Olympics are also an important driver. According to our forecast, the market value of winter sports in China will reach $150 billion by 2025. We see that China's volume is very large, which will also bring a huge boost to winter sports around the world.
Reporter: Chinese athletes have achieved breakthrough results in this Winter Olympics that surpass previous editions, how do you evaluate the performance of the Chinese delegation? What role will such performance play in the development of winter sports in China?
Bach: I am very happy to see the chinese team winning the gold medal, especially the competition where Gu Ailing won the gold medal in the big jump, and the gold medal event of the Chinese team in figure skating and doubles free skating yesterday. These athletes will become role models for people, not only for winter sports, but also for Chinese sports, and we can see that these athletes around the world will inspire all people to participate in sports. So these winning athletes will be our role models, inspiring people further, and becoming ambassadors for Olympic sports and Olympic values.
As of February 17, the total number of cross-media contacts of the Beijing Winter Olympics related reports on the Beijing Winter Olympics has reached 48.474 billion times, of which 31.973 billion times have been reached on the TV side and 16.501 billion times on new media multi-platform. That is to say, three days before the end of the Winter Olympic Games, the communication of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games has exceeded the overall cross-media reach of the Tokyo Olympic Games with 47.905 billion times. As the Winter Olympics are about to close, how do you evaluate the achievements of CCTV in the dissemination of the Winter Olympics?
Bach: The coverage and dissemination of the event by CCTV has reached an unprecedented scale and success, and as you just said, CCTV has really stimulated the enthusiasm of the Chinese people for the Winter Olympic Games, so that the Chinese people can learn more about the Winter Olympic Games, and the Chinese people can share their enthusiasm for the Winter Olympic Games with each other. In this regard, the IOC greatly appreciates the success achieved. Because through such broadcast reports, the Olympic spirit and values can be further promoted in China. At the same time, we can also see that the Central Radio and Television Station has made great contributions to the broadcasting of the International Olympic Committee through OBS, and colleagues have also achieved good results in various work, which has also added luster to the extensive television broadcast around the world.
Reporter: A few days ago, you presented the "IOC President's Award" to the director of the Central Radio and Television Station, which reflects the IOC's praise for the achievements made by the CCTV in the development and dissemination of the international Olympic movement over the years. The main station worked closely with OBS this time, and many projects in the public signal adopted cutting-edge innovative technologies such as 8K, and the level of the professional team was also recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The general station is cooperating with the General Administration of Sport of china to organize events such as dragon boat competitions, and also reserves projects for the Olympic Games. What other aspects of cooperation do you think there will be in the future between the Station and the IOC?
Bach: We believe that our cooperation will continue to strengthen, especially on CCTV16, which is the Olympic channel. This channel can let these athletes serve as role models to spread their stories and let more Chinese people understand these stories. In this way, we can further explore some of the stories we already have, through the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and international events, so that everyone can learn more about the background of the event. So I believe there is a lot of potential in this area, and we will further strengthen cooperation in this regard. There are some other places, such as technological breakthroughs, like the main station and CCTV in the past few years are in the 8K and other technology trials and applications, and we believe that this aspect of the work will continue, we are also very willing to share our experience, especially with the Chinese side to strengthen cooperation, in the broadcast of each other to learn from each other, common progress.
Source: CCTV Sports