Beijing 'safe bet' as 2022 Winter Olympics host
By Sun Xiaochen (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-11-05 16:20With ready-made facilities and government support Beijing is a risk-free choice as host city of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
The capital is confident of its ability to welcome Olympians worldwide with its safe and warm hospitality if it wins the right to host the Games.
"If the International Olympic Committee selects Beijing, they select safety and guarantee. Beijing is a zero-risk candidate to host the 2022 Games," said Wang Hui, spokeswoman for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee, who served as deputy press director of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Beijing and surrounding city Zhangjiakou in Hebei province launched a joint bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics in November 2013. The IOC will select the 2022 host city on July 31 next year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Beijing bid committee will attend the assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees in Bangkok on Nov 7, Wang said.
Wang Anshun, the mayor of Beijing and chief of the Beijing bid committee, will make a presentation at the meeting to promote the bidding plan and brief the Olympic family about preparations so far.
"It's an international debut for the bid committee," Wang said. "We will show the world our commitment and capabilities to host a successful Winter Olympic Games."
The mayor's presentation will focus on three major advantages of Beijing: its athlete-centered services and accessibility of facilities, efficient preparation and operation and the sustainability of post-Games development as well as promotion of winter sports.
Positive feedback from officials of international sports federations, including skating, ice hockey and curling, who have visited Beijing to inspect facilities has further motivated Beijing in its bid, Wang said.
"We have written our official bidding report, which we will hand to the IOC next January. The IOC will send a team to examine and assess Beijing's preparation for the bid next March, and we are confident of impressing them then".
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