Safety first approach is big Winter Olympics winner

More events on way

Three more international sporting events are due to take place in China this year.

They are the 31st Summer World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in August, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in September, and the postponed 2021 Asian Youth Games in Shantou, Guangdong province, in December.

Drawing on the experience of Beijing 2022, the customs authority in Chengdu said recently it would set up a special lane at ports of entry for participants in events and would also add more monitoring equipment.

Huang Qiang, governor of Sichuan, also urged strict implementation of closed-loop management and told organizers to coordinate on staging events and control work.

Yin said several new devices to monitor health and sanitize environments and objects were produced during the Winter Olympics and are expected to be used at other events in the future.

"We have been battling COVID-19 for more than two years and are constantly upgrading response measures. The success of Beijing 2022 has shown that with correct measures in place, it is safe to hold sporting events," she said.

Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for Beijing 2022, said he was impressed with China's thorough preparations to ensure safety and deal with emergencies during the pandemic.

"I have full confidence in China to hold any other large-scale international sporting event," he said.