Six preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are in place

On the morning of October 27, 2021, the Information Office of the State Council held a press conference. Shou Xiaoli, deputy director of the Information Bureau and press spokesperson, said at the press conference that on the occasion of the 100-day countdown to the opening of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Mr. Zhang Jiandong, vice mayor of Beijing and executive vice chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, Mr. Li Yingchuan, deputy director of the State General Administration of Sports, Ms. Wang Meimei, vice chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, Mr. Cui Shuqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and executive vice mayor, and Mr. Yan Pengcheng, vice governor of Hebei Province, were invited to introduce the overall preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics and The Winter Paralympic Games. And answer questions of interest to Chinese and foreign media reporters.

Zhang Jiandong said that the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Paralympic Games are major landmark events at important historical nodes in China, and are also the world's largest winter comprehensive sports event. The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to the preparation of the Winter Olympics, and General Secretary Xi Jinping has held many special meetings to study and deploy, inspected the frontline of the competition area, and made a series of important instructions, which provided fundamental guidelines for the preparation work. Since the preparations, under the direct command of the leading group for the Winter Olympic Games, we have fully implemented the concept of green, shared, open and clean Olympic Games, worked closely with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, and coordinated the prevention and control of the epidemic and the preparation of the Winter Olympic Games.

First, the venues and infrastructure meet the requirements for running the competition. All 12 competition venues were completed, certified by international winter sports organizations, and fully equipped with the conditions for running the competition. New venues such as the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon", the National Bobsleigh Center "Snow Tour Dragon", and the National Ski Jumping Center "Snow Ruyi" have fully integrated Chinese cultural elements while meeting the requirements of the competition, and have become eye-catching landmarks. Three non-competition venues such as the Winter Olympic Village and the Main Media Center have been put into use, and infrastructure such as the Beijing-Zhangjiang High-Speed Railway and the Beijing-Li Expressway have been put into operation, and the barrier-free facility environment has been further improved to fully meet the requirements of the Winter Paralympic Games.

Second, the venue-based operation mode during the game is fully implemented. The venue is the basic unit of the operation of the event, and it is also the most important operating body. Last year, the backbone forces were drawn from the Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, territorial governments, owner units and other aspects, and a stadium team was formed, responsible for the organization of events, epidemic prevention and control, facility maintenance, service guarantee and other work of each venue. In February and April this year, we successfully held domestic testing activities for snow and ice projects, and tested and inspected the operation of the venue. In order to further enhance the operation and guarantee capabilities of the venues, from October to December this year, we plan to hold 10 international test matches and 3 international training weeks, fully in accordance with the Standards of the Winter Olympics for all elements of the test, it is expected that more than 2,000 overseas athletes, team officials, etc. will come to China through the whole closed-loop management. At present, the speed skating China Open, the Asian Figure Skating Open, the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup, the Bobsleigh and Steel Frame Bobsleigh Time Trials have been successfully concluded, and the Wheelchair Curling World Championships are underway. Judging from the end of the competition, international sports organizations, participating athletes and other aspects have given full affirmation. We will adhere to the problem-oriented, summarize and inventory field by field, carry out rectification and optimization in depth, and lay a solid foundation for the operation of the game.

Third, the service guarantee of the Games has been comprehensively promoted. Adhere to the "three divisions, one standard" and make all preparations in an all-round way. Nearly 100 contracted hotels have been identified, accommodation allocation schemes have been developed and reservations are under way. Completed the selection of the winter Olympic food raw material supply base and catering service providers, and formulated the winter Olympic menu, which will meet the different needs of each customer group. 41 designated medical and health institutions were identified, and a medical treatment team was formed in the venue. Establish a racetime traffic operation command center, clarify vehicle selection, and carry out vehicle procurement. The list of volunteers for the Games has been preliminarily determined, and business training is under way. Formulate and implement the action plan for the Winter Olympics of Science and Technology, and actively promote the demonstration and application of new technologies such as hydrogen fuel, 5G communication, cloud broadcasting, and artificial intelligence, many of which are related to the media and publicity reports, such as the full coverage of 5G signals in the media carriage of the Beijing-Zhang high-speed railway, and everyone can feel the convenience and efficiency brought by these scientific and technological innovations during the race.

Fourth, properly respond to the risk of COVID-19. The pandemic is the biggest challenge facing the Hosting of the Winter Olympics. In order to do a good job in epidemic prevention and control, an international epidemic prevention and control working group has been established with the International Olympic Committee and the World Health Organization, and a special class and expert group for domestic epidemic prevention and control has been established with the National Health Commission, Beijing Municipality, Hebei Province, etc. We insist on putting the health and safety of all participants in the first place, give full play to the role of the two mechanisms at home and abroad, and formulate the overall guidelines for epidemic prevention and control of the Winter Olympic Games, the overall work plan and the epidemic prevention measures of "one policy" and "one museum and one policy". On September 30, the key policies for epidemic prevention and control were issued, and on October 25, together with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, the first edition of the epidemic prevention manual was issued, which clarified the six basic principles of adhering to simplified competitions, remote prevention and control, vaccination, closed-loop management, effective disposal, and integration of prevention and control, and put forward specific epidemic prevention measures. In a few days, we will hold a series of interpretation meetings of various stakeholders to comprehensively explain the specific epidemic prevention policies, including special interpretation meetings for the media, and welcome the continuous attention of media friends.

Fifth, publicity and promotion and cultural activities continue to heat up. The Winter Olympics are both a sporting event and a cultural event. Since the preparation, we have released the Vision, Emblem, Mascot, Torch, Sports Icon, Medal and Excellent Music Works of the Winter Olympics, launched the Winter Olympic Documentary Channel on Beijing Television, selected a number of Winter Olympic Cultural Squares across the country, and held themed theme activities such as countdown 1,000 days, one anniversary and 100 days. The tinder collection and handover work was successfully completed, and a tinder welcome ceremony was held at the Olympic Tower, the torch relay plan was released, and the tinder display was launched. These colorful cultural activities have left a strong imprint on the Olympic Movement in China, and Chinese and foreign media have given all-round coverage, creating a strong atmosphere for the Winter Olympics. At the same time, the work related to the opening and closing ceremonies is also advancing in an orderly manner.

Sixth, sustainability and heritage work has been effective. Deeply implement the sustainability plan and carbon neutrality implementation plan, complete the ecological restoration of Yanqing and Zhangjiakou competition areas, achieve full coverage of the green power grid of all venues, and use new carbon dioxide refrigerants in 4 venues such as the National Speed Skating Hall, and the carbon emissions of the Beijing Winter Olympics will be all neutralized. Fully implement the heritage strategic plan, each venue has formulated a post-game utilization plan, relying on the Capital Institute of Physical Education to establish the Beijing International Olympic Academy, the Beijing Winter Olympic Park settled in Shougang, Yanqing Olympic Park, Zhangjiakou Chongli Olympic Park post-game naming has been approved. Taking the preparation of the Winter Olympics as an opportunity, vigorously promoting the construction of ice and snow venue facilities, and actively promoting ice and snow sports into campuses and communities, the goal of "300 million people participating in ice and snow sports" is gradually becoming a reality. Give full play to the traction role of the Winter Olympics in the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, promote the interconnection of transportation facilities, the complementarity and mutual promotion of industrial development, the joint prevention and management of the ecological environment, the co-construction and sharing of public services, the construction of the Beijing-Zhangzhou sports and cultural tourism belt, and promote the transformation and development and high-quality development of Shougang, Yanqing, Zhangjiakou and other regions.

Zhang Jiandong pointed out that at the same time, we should give full play to the institutional advantages of concentrating forces on major events, establish a working mechanism for comprehensive integration and coordination with relevant central departments, Beijing Municipality, and Hebei Province, and set up an operation command center. On October 5, on the eve of the start of the International Test Match, it was officially launched, and the daily command and dispatch was carried out. This command system will continue until the time of the race, and problems will be found and solved at any time to ensure the efficient and orderly operation of the event.

Zhang Jiandong stressed that today is 99 days away from the opening of the Winter Olympics. On January 27 next year, the Winter Olympic Village will officially open to welcome athletes from all over the world, and on February 2, the torch relay will be held to kick off the prelude to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. We firmly believe that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with the strong support of the people of the whole country and the international community, we will certainly be able to overcome various difficulties and challenges, successfully complete various preparatory tasks, and dedicate a simple, safe and wonderful Olympic event to the world.