The organising committee for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games has been established five months after the election of Beijing as host city, with Guo Jinlong confirmed as president of the newly formed body.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, Guo was mayor of Beijing and executive chairman of the organising committee.

Guo said the first duty would be to review Beijing's host city contract in light of the IOC's Olympic Agenda 2020.

"We will pore over the HCC and the Olympic Agenda 2020, and review our bid commitments before we work out the roadmap and timetable," Guo was reported as saying by Xinhua News Agency.

"We shall ensure every task is accomplished.”

The organising committee, created by the city and the National Olympic Committee, will be responsible for ensuring the Games are organised successfully. Its establishment follows an Orientation Seminar that was held in early November in Beijing. 

Guo’s appointment was welcomed by IOC president Thomas Bach.

“On behalf of the International Olympic Committee, it is my great pleasure to congratulate everyone on the inauguration of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” he said.

“Allow me to congratulate Mr Guo Jinlong, the President of the Organising Committee.

“Beijing is making history as the first city in the world to host both the Olympic Summer Games and the Olympic Winter Games.”

Reducing the cost and increasing the sustainability of hosting the Games is a key aim of Agenda 2020. 

Using infrastructure from the 2008 Olympic Games will help Beijing to keep costs down, with a projected budget of US$1.5bn.

“The formation of the Organising Committee represents the start of an exciting journey for the entire Olympic family,” said Bach.

“This milestone is the first step on our six-year journey together to deliver brilliant Olympic Winter Games in 2022 for Beijing, for China, and for the world.”

Beijing was selected as host of the 2022 ahead of Almaty, the only other city that progressed to the candidature stage. 

The host faces challenges in managing air pollution in the city and ensuring there is enough snow in the mountain resort of  Zhangjiakou. 

According to Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked the organizers to "work harder to host a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Games”, saying city management, environmental protection, budgetary control and the appeal of winter sports in China will all need to be heightened. 

A number of Chinese dignitaries atteneded the launch of the organising committee, including Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, Beijing 2022 President Guo Jinlong, Chinese Olympic Committee President Liu Peng, Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong, Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun and Hebei Governor Zhang Qingwei. 

The Beijing 2022 bid committee has promised to keep costs down on being elected as the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games at the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, with the International Olympic Committee citing manageable infrastructure costs as a key factor in the success of the bid. 

“Just as with the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, the Olympic Family has put its faith in Beijing again to deliver the athlete-centred, sustainable and economical Games we have promised,” the newly elected host of the 2022 Olympic Games said in a statement issued to the press. 

Existing venues, such as the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium built for the Games in 2008, will feature in the Games. US$1.5bn will be spent on Olympic villages, sports venues and other infrastructure, a sum that is “significantly less than for Olympic Games in the past”, according to the IOC.

“Olympic Agenda 2020 calls for a stronger focus on sustainability, legacy, and transparency, while making it easier for host cities to tailor Games that meet their needs rather than trying to fit a template,” the IOC said in a statement issued after the election.

“Beijing took advantage of the flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020 to improve its plans for the Games and reduce costs.”

Despite being widely viewed as the runaway favourite, Beijing won the vote narrowly with just 44 to Almaty’s 40. Only 84 of the 100 International Olympic Committee members participated in a vote that had to be recast after technical difficulties. 

The Beijing 2022 Winter Games will immediately follow the 2018 edition in PyeongChang, South Korea. Developing winter sports further in the Asian market promises to be a valuable effect of hosting the Games in Beijing.

“Beijing aims to use the Games to accelerate the development of a new sport, culture and tourism area, and to encourage interest in winter sports in a region that is home to more than 300 million people in northern China,” the IOC said.

The Beijing 2022 bid committee said “This will be a memorable event at the foot of the Great Wall for the whole Olympic Family, the athletes and the spectators that will further enhance the tremendous potential to grow winter sports in our country, in Asia and around the world.”

Beijing will be the first city to host both a summer and winter edition of the Olympic Games – facilitated in part by hosting many skiing events at Zhangjiakou, 220km away from Beijing. Artificial snow is also likely to play a role in enabling the competitions to take place. 

The host city contract signed by Beijing representatives and IOC president Thomas Bach has been made public for the first time. 

Meanwhile, the “Olympic capital” city of Lausanne was elected as the host of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games at the IOC Session, garnering 71 votes to Brasov’s 10. 

The IOC Evaluation Commission singled out Lausanne for its good use of existing, temporary and demountable venues, which is in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 sustainability reforms.

Beijing 2022 is anticipating at least US$858m of revenues as it seeks to host the Winter Olympic Games, the bid committee told IOC evaluation commission members on the final day of presentations. 

China’s economic growth is continuing to lead the world and the country is prioritising the development of sports, leisure and tourism, the bid committee said.

China has set a target for its sports industry to grow to 800 billion USD by 2025 through promoting sports businesses, developing sport facilities and opening up the market to consumer products and services. 

By 2022, the bid committee anticipates that the combined sports, culture, tourism, leisure, conferences and exhibitions industries will amount to about 20 per cent of GDP of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou region, which is being developed as a “Sport, Culture and Tourism Belt”.

US$660m of organising committee revenues would be raised through sponsorship. 

Beijing 2022 has already secured eight sponsors, including: Tencent Group, fourth largest Internet company in the world, Snow Beer, the world's bestselling beer brand, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s largest professional service network, Beijing Bank, Beijing Automotive Group, Anta Sports, True Colour Stationary and Sandaogu Travel Company. 

The remaining revenue would be raised through the licensing and ticketing programmes.

Beijing 2022 is optimistic about ticketing sales, partly because the Games will coincide with the Chinese New Year festival and school holidays. 

The bid committee includes Olympic marketing experts who worked on Beijing 2008. 

“We guarantee that Beijing 2022 will meet the revenue targets, secure the best returns for the IOC TOP partners, as well as national partners, ensure full stadia with amazing atmosphere, in strict respect to all the IOC’s and IPC’s marketing rules,” said Mr. Chen Feng, former deputy director of marketing of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

In its bid to host the 2022 Games, Beijing is competing against the Kazakh city of Almaty, which the IOC evaluation commission visited in February and where sponsorship and marketing are newer concepts.

“The sponsorship landscape is evolving, and Almaty 2022 would help speed up this evolution,” said Alimzhan Akayev, marketing advisor to Almaty 2022 and marketing director of the Combat and Strength Sports Confederation of Kazakhstan.

“Almaty 2022, and the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan have agreed on a Joint Marketing Programme in order to optimise and protect the revenue-generating ability of the OCOG. All required guarantees were provided”.

On a diplomatic trip to Switzerland, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi met with IOC president Thomas Bach on Monday and underlined the government’s commitment to the Winter Olympic Games in 2022. 

Joined by IOC vice-president Yu Zaiqing, president Bach praised the China’s development of sport in and its leadership on the role of sport in development internationally. 

“China has a real vision about the importance of sport for education, for social cohesion and for international representation,” said Bach. 

“I would like to thank again President Xi for not only promoting the role of sport in China but also for supporting the mention of sport within the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.”

The UN Member States are expected to use the SDGs as goals and targets to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years.

Bach also praised the “outstanding development of sport” in China under the leadership of president Xi Jinping.

The meeting took place in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, shortly after the IOC Evaluation Commission’s inspection of Beijing’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. 

Wang reiterated that the Chinese government is fully supportive of the bid, assuring the IOC that all commitments made during the bidding phase would be implemented.

He was in Lausanne for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, along with Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s minister of foreign affairs, with whom Bach discussed Russia’s contribution to the UN SDGs and his upcoming visit to Sochi at the end of April. 

Bach also met with Germany’s foreign minister, Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier and discussed  the bidding procedure for the 2024 Olympic Games. 

The two candidate cities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games submitted their candidature files to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne on Tuesday. 

Both candidates, Almaty and Beijing, highlighted how they amended their bids to take into account the Agenda 2020 reforms approved by the IOC in December, with IOC president Thomas Bach confirming the IOC will work with the candidates to apply the reforms.

 “Working with the two Candidate Cities, we will apply the first reforms which have been approved by the IOC members very recently in Monaco as part of our Olympic Agenda 2020 roadmap,” said IOC president Bach on Tuesday,

“This will be done through ongoing consultation with the Candidate Cities.”

Developed over the course of 2014, when several European cities pulled out of bidding for the 2022 Winter Games, Agenda 2020 introduces a number of changes to make bidding for and hosting the Games more sustainable, affordable and beneficial for cities. 

Almaty and Beijing have retrospectively adjusted their bids to incorporate some of the IOC’s recommendations and reforms.

“Many recommendations of Agenda 2020 were taken into consideration while developing the concept of the 2022 Winter Games,” said Mrs Zauresh Amanzholova, vice mayor of Almaty City.

“We believe our bid is a perfect fit with this new philosophy and brings essential benefits to the Almaty and Kazakhstani people. 

“Almaty 2022 can be a catalyst for social, economic and sports growth in the region where winter sports facilities are badly needed.”

Janez Kocijančič, vice president of the International Ski Federation was in Monaco for the approval of Agenda 2020. He told HOST CITY “Almaty plan to build their winter sport capacity,” but could not reveal details of the scope or potential cost of the work.

Agenda 2020 promotes the use of existing and temporary infrastructure to reduce infrastructure costs for bidding cities. While both bids require significant infrastructure development, Almaty would need to invest more than Beijing, which incorporates the more developed resort of nearby Zhangjiakou into its candidature.

“Our Candidature File embodies the requirements of the IOC and the philosophy of Olympic Agenda 2020,” said Mr Wang Anshun, president of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee and mayor of Beijing.

“The important concept of running athlete-centred, economical and sustainable Games will be represented well in our bid and actual organisation of the Games in 2022.”

The successful candidate will receive an estimated US$880m contribution from the IOC, derived from marketing and broadcasting revenues as well as “assistance provided to the Organising Committee by the IOC and related entities”.

For the first time, the Host City Contract will be made public, as recommended by Agenda 2020. The host city will also be bound to the new principle of non-discrimination on sexual orientation.

Kocijančič also made comments to HOST CITY that could be interpreted to support the view that Beijing represents the richest potential for the development of winter sports in Asia. 

“Europe is where skiing and most winter sports were born and have their home, but regarding the development of the sport it would be very wise to go east. 

“Because there are tremendous changes in the modern world – the countries are changing, the social structure, there are more and more people who can afford skiing.”

Asked which country represents the biggest market, he said “Everybody knows China is China… and Kazakhstan is Kazakhstan.”

René Fasel, IOC member and president of the International Ice Hockey Federation went further still, breaking IOC rules by telling local press during a junior championship event in Toronto, "This is a fact, China is a favourite."

Anything can happen in a bid campaign however and the coming months will be critical for both candidates. 

The evaluation commission will inspect Almaty’s sites from 14 to 18 February and Beijing’s from 24 to 28 March and publish their report on www.olympic.org before the briefing for IOC members that will take place from 9 to 10 2015. 

The appointment of Russian IOC member Alexander Zhukov as chair of the evaluation commission is interesting, as his country neighbours and has strong ties with both China and Kazakhstan – potentially reducing the cost of the evaluation process without compromising objectivity. 

The host city for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be elected at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur following a final presentation by the cities to the full IOC membership on 31 July.

The IOC has informed candidate cities that they can make their candidature files public, and the candidates will inform HOST CITY if and when this happens.

The Chinese Olympic Committee on Sunday confirmed the passing of IOC Honorary Member He Zhenliang.

An astute politician and diplomat, He played a pivotal role in returning China to the Olympic movement and also attracting the Olympic Games to Beijing. His great achievements earned him the moniker “Mr. Olympics” in China.

“The Olympic Movement has lost one of its most fervent ambassadors,” said IOC president Bach.

Before serving as IOC honorary member, He was IOC member from 1981 until 2010. He also served on the IOC executive board for three four-year periods and as IOC vice president from 1989 to 1993.

"China's current major-member status in the IOC is inseparable from He's hard work for decades,” Wei Jizhong, former secretary-general of the Chinese Olympic Committee told China Daily on Sunday. 

He played a vital part in helping Beijing win the right to host the Summer Olympic Games as an executive on the Beijing 2000 and 2008 bid committees.

Jizhong recalled He’s disappointment when Beijing missed out on 2000 by just two votes, telling China Daily "He said he felt he had let his country and people down, while in fact he'd done what he could to the utmost.”

The highlight of He’s career came at the 112th IOC session when Beijing’s bid committee won the host city election for 2008 under his leadership. 

In an interview with HOST CITY magazine published on the eve of the Olympic Games in 2008, He said: “The Olympic Games will help the world better understand China and vice versa. 

“If we can achieve such a goal through the Olympic Games, then the Games will not only leave its mark in the development history of China, in particular it will shine as a significant milestone in our diplomatic history. It will also be a symbolic major event in the history of international relations.”

These goals were certainly achieved, with the Beijing Games showcasing China to the world at a time of unprecedented economic growth.

IOC president Thomas Bach said “He was a man of culture and art. He was a true advocate of the social values of sport and of our Movement and I would like to pay tribute to the passion and energy he deployed over the years to fulfil his mission as an IOC Member in China. 

“He also helped our Movement better understand his country, its people and outstanding culture.”

Speaking to HOST CITY in 2008 about the impact of hosting the Games, He acknowledged the improvements to infrastructure and material wealth in Beijing, but said that more valuable benefit was the cultural impact of the humanistic values of Olympism in China. 

“The Olympic Games bestows hope and enlightenment to the world,” he told HOST CITY. “We need to make concerted efforts to build a bridge of tolerance, understanding, respect and friendly coexistence across different places, races, religions and ideologies.”

A keen sportsman, Mr He enjoyed swimming, playing table tennis, tennis, football, basketball and golf. A champion of sport and Olympic values in school curricula, He told HOST CITY his long term aspiration was for a greater role for sports within education in China. 

He’s other roles within the IOC included Chairman of the Cultural Commission (1995-1999), Chairman (2000-2009) and then Honorary Member  (2009-2015) of the Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, Vice-Chairman of the Sport for All Commission (1985-1987), and member of a number of other Commissions including the IOC 2000 reforms. 

He served as deputy secretary general of the Chinese Gymnastics Association, secretary general of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, deputy secretary general of the All-China Sports Federation and president of Chinese Olympic Committee.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee also mourned He’s passing, praising his contributions to the Olympic Movement in China. The bid committee said it will endeavour to win the right to host the 2022 Games as a tribute to He.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Executive Board (EB) today approved the venues for the five sports - baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing – that had events approved during the IOC session in Rio de Janeiro this year for the Tokyo 2020 programme only.

These additional events were proposed by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee using the new flexibility given by Olympic Agenda 2020 for host cities to propose events only for their edition of the Games.

The IOC EB agreed to the following venue proposals from the Tokyo 2020 organisers:

The baseball/softball competitions will be held in the Yokohama Stadium (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture), which is one of Japan’s best-loved baseball venues.

Karate will take place at the Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), which is already hosting judo in 2020 and, as Japan’s mecca for martial arts, is a legacy venue from the 1964 Games.

Skateboarding and sport climbing will be hosted at the Aomi Urban Sports Venue, which will be a dynamic and innovative temporary facility situated in a spectacular location with Tokyo Bay as a backdrop.

Finally, surfing competitions will be located on Tsurigasaki Beach, which is situated at the southern end of the Kujukuri Beach in Chiba prefecture. The beach is a popular surfing destination and has hosted a number of international and national surfing competitions.

This brings the total number of venues for the Tokyo 2020 Games to 39, including 8 new permanent venues, 22 existing sites and 9 temporary venues, most of which are located in two zones of the city -the Heritage Zone and the Tokyo Bay Zone. These two zones will offer a unique look at Tokyo and Japan to spectators attending the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

In addition to updating the EB on operational matters and the new venues, the Tokyo delegation also spoke about the success of their participation in the Olympic Games Rio 2016, with 300 staff taking part in the observer programmes run by the IOC and IPC; Japan House with its 82,000 visitors; and an acclaimed handover segment. The homecoming parade of Japan’s 87 Rio medallists was also seen by a record 800,000 people on the streets of Tokyo, which underlined further the support of the Japanese people for the Games.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee made its first presentation to the IOC EB since the “Marvellous Games” came to a close this August. In particular, they spoke about the legacy of the Games with 200,000 passengers per day now using Metro Line 4 and 450,000 being carried on the three new BRT lines built using the Games as a catalyst. In addition, according to reports published after the Games, Rio 2016 also delivered an economic impact of USD 21.66 billion, created 1.79 million jobs and had an important tourism impact with 1.2 million visitors during the Rio Olympic Games, who spent USD 304.1 million.

With 428 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the President of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG), Hee-beom Lee, presented the status of Games preparations in the next Olympic host city. President Lee reported about the large number of activities taking place in PyeongChang this winter, including the World Press Briefing, the World Broadcaster Meeting, the Chef de Mission meeting, the One-Year-to-Go celebrations, the numerous visits by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs), and the 24 test events that will see some of the world’s best winter athletes take to the snow and ice already this season in the Republic of Korea.

Finally, Beijing 2022 gave an impressive report on their progress, as the Organising Committee takes shape with 176 staff now in place - 50 of whom participated in the Rio 2016 Observer Programme. The Committee underlined the efforts being made to develop winter sports in China and promote the Games. One example of this promotion was the figure shared by the Beijing organisers that last winter, the number of residents practising winter sports in Beijing and Zhangjiakou alone increased by over 30%, reaching 6.8 million people.

Source: International Olympic Committee