Home / News
As Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics enters the final stage, millions of local residents feel the excitement of the 2008 Summer Olympics has returned. Hao Jianyun is one of them.
"My memory of the night of July 13, 2001 when then International Olympic Committee president (Juan Antonio) Samaranch announced Beijing won the bid for the 2008 Olympics is still fresh," Hao, a public servant in northwest Beijing's Yanqing county, said in a letter sent to Beijing's 2022 bid committee to express her support.
"Everyone who didn't know each other before hugged together at an open-air square after watching the announcing ceremony, and then marched the street to celebrate for the realization of China's Olympic dream.
"With Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics entering the decisive final stage, we will possibly have the chance to impress the world again by showing how far the city has progressed since then and demonstrating how much the Chinese people are involved in winter sports."
Should the bid succeed, Beijing will become the only city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Originally considered a long shot, Beijing is now in a two-city race to host the games against Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the strong public support Beijing's bid enjoys has provided an edge over its opponent.
According to a survey last year conducted by Ipsos, a global market research company, 94.8 percent of the Chinese people, including 91.8 percent of Beijing citizens and 99.5 percent of Zhangjiakou citizens, are in support of their joint bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The poll surveyed about 2,500 respondents in 32 Chinese cities including Beijing, Zhangjiakou and Shanghai in January 2014.
"The sincerity, ardor and expectation for the 2022 Winter Olympics from 1.3 billion Chinese people has been a strong support for Beijing's bid and will play a positive role in helping Beijing win the bid," said Yang Xiaochao, vice mayor of Beijing and a vice-president of the bid committee.
Public support is proven by the growing numbers of people participating in Winter Olympics promotions and other activities.
At the 14th annual Olympic Culture Day in April at Beijing Yangfangdian Primary School in Haidian district, over 300 students made impassioned presentations about the Olympic spirit before taking part in a range of sports activities including dry-land training for cross-country skiing and skating.
The growing passion for winter sports and the public support for Beijing's 2022 bid has deeply impressed the International Olympic Committee.
"It is clear that the 2022 bid has strong government and public support. The Olympic spirit that Beijing and China showed to the world in 2008 is alive and as strong as ever," Alexander Zhukov, chairman of the IOC Evaluation Commission, said after visiting Beijing to inspect proposed venues in March.
