China trying to qualify for all 109 events at 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Chinese athletes will try to qualify for all 109 events at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, said Juan Antonio Samaranch, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission chair for the Beijing Games.

Samaranch, also an IOC vice president, said on Tuesday in a report at the 134th IOC Session, "They are planning to qualify for the entire 109 events. They have more than 3,300 athletes training in the national team, comparing that number to a little more than 300 preparing for the previous Games."

China sent 82 athletes, 36 men and 46 women, to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, competing in 55 events. In the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Chinese athletes competed in only 45 events.

"In the soft part of the legacy, China will have at least 300 million people by the time of the Games practicing or close to the winter sports," the Spaniard said.

He said that all venues for the Beijing Winter Olympics will be completed by 2020, with 15 test events already scheduled. The first Athletes Village will be delivered in December and the mountain village will be ready early in 2021.

The high speed trains, which links central Beijing and the skiing venues in Zhangjiakou, will be operational later this year, he said.

IOC President Thomas Bach also spoke highly of the Beijing organizers' job after the Executive Board meeting last Thursday, saying he is perfectly satisfied with all preparation work.

When asked about any concern over the preparation of Beijing 2022, Bach gave a quite short and firm response, "NO!"