Ministry: Beijing ready for 2022 Games

The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that China is well prepared to host a safe and wonderful Winter Olympics.

Preparatory work for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games has received great attention and support from the international community, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily news conference.

A declaration issued after the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit in Rome also said that the leaders expect the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which will be held next year, to be "opportunities for competition for athletes from around the world, which serve as a symbol of humanity's resilience".

According to Wang, some foreign diplomatic missions in China, such as the Norwegian embassy in Beijing, have held activities themed on the Beijing Winter Olympics.

China has welcomed the arrival of the Olympic flame, commemorated the 100-day countdown events and revealed the medals and uniforms for the Olympics, Wang said.

A series of test events and training camps have begun in Beijing, its Yanqing district and Hebei province's Zhangjiakou, the three major competition zones, and will continue to the end of the year in preparation for February's Games, he added.

Renovations of Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, were completed at the end of last month, marking the completion of all construction work on Winter Olympic venues and supporting infrastructure.

The stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"As we embrace the Beijing moment, the passion and dream of people around the world for the Olympics have been ignited," Wang said.

Beijing has made full use of its 2008 Summer Olympic venues, and it will be the only city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.