Olympic committee ends inspection of proposed Beijing venues for 2022 bid

The International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission, chaired by Russian IOC member Alexander Zhukov (4th from right), inspect the scaled model of venues for skiing competition and operational functions for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Chongli, Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, March 26, 2015. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

Boasting ready-made skiing facilities and scenic views of the Great Wall, Beijing's co-host city Zhangjiakou for the 2022 Winter Olympics will welcome global winter sports fans with modern hospitality and traditional heritage should the bid succeed.

The International Olympic Committee evaluation commission on Thursday concluded its inspection on all the proposed venues of Beijing's 2022 bid after touring skiing resorts in Chongli, Zhangjiakou in Hebei province, which has developed into a popular skiing destination over a decade and attracts 1.5 million tourists annually.

Zhangjiakou will host snowboarding, ski jumping, Nordic combined and the biathlon, as well as freestyle and cross-country skiing if Beijing wins the bid.

The commission members visited the popular and established Genting Secret Garden Ski Resort, which would host snowboarding and freestyle skiing in 2022. It will also host the Mountain Media Center, which is planned as a temporary facility to be dismantled after the Games, and will include the Olympic Village, which would become a residential area once the Games are over.

The delegation also visited the sites proposed for the Nordic and the Biathlon Centers, a truly unique location at the foot of the Great Wall that will provide a stunning backdrop for spectators and millions of fans worldwide watching the broadcast of the Games.

Thanks to the construction of a high-speed railway, which will be completed in 2019, the Zhangjiakou venue cluster will be just a 50 minute train ride from downtown Beijing. Travel time from the Olympic Village to any venue there will be within 15 minutes to provide maximum convenience for the athletes.

With five established ski resorts successfully operating in the area and enjoying a growing number of winter sports visitors every year, Zhangjiakou is one of the key destinations that will help deliver China's ambition to rapidly expand the winter sports industry across the country and wider region.

The goal to grow the winter sports market is underpinned by Chinese President Xi Jinping's call to involve an additional 300 million people in the country in winter sports.

To support the Olympic Agenda 2020, the proposal of using existing facilities in Zhangjiakou for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games helps cut economic costs while minimizing the impact to the environment. Existing international standard hotels, trails, cable-cars and reservoirs will be utilized without additional construction required.