Delegation from IOC to inspect facilities in Beijing

Beijing's bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games will enter its decisive phase next week with the IOC evaluation commission visiting the Chinese capital to assess its bid plan on proposed venue sites.

Headed by Russian IOC member Alexander Zhukov, the evaluation commission will visit Beijing and its co-host city, Zhangjiakou in Hebei province, from March 24 to 28 to inspect the proposed venues for ice and snow events, the noncompetition infrastructure and supporting facilities to assess the Chinese capital's capability for hosting the games.

The final host city - Beijing or Almaty, Kazakhstan - will be selected at an International Olympic Committee session held in Kuala Lumpur on July 31.