Lausanne, July 19, 2019: The fourth IOC Coordination Commission meeting (17-19 July) witnessed the significant positive impact made from creating opportunities for 300 million Chinese people to get involved in winter sport, as well as the benefits from the on-going implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 (Beijing 2022 shows positive).
“Beijing 2022 is delivering on its vision to engage 300 million people in winter sports, and we can see real benefits resulting from the various actions that are being undertaken across the country,” IOC Coordination Commission Chair Juan Antonio Samaranch said.
“We have heard about some impressive developments this week that exemplify the vision for winter sports in China in terms of mass participation, elite sport and tourism.
This progress is very encouraging for the long-term future of winter sport, both in China and internationally.”
The nationwide promotion of winter sports among the general public, especially with a focus on young people, has led to a major expansion of sports facilities to accommodate the growing demand in China.
This has led to an increased number of winter sports events and plans to bid for more international competitions.
During the 2018-2019 season, there were 4,401 district level, municipal and national level winter sports events in China, with 8.15 million people taking part.
The increased popularity of winter sports has also meant a growing need for professional instructors, quality equipment and training centres.
The Beijing 2022 Organising Committee emphasised the overall growth of the winter sports industry in China, citing a 16 per cent year-on-year increase to USD 53.6 billion in 2018, up from USD 46.2 billion in 2017.
To date, this has led to the creation of 1.5 million jobs. Beijing 2022 anticipates that this level of demand will have an immense impact on the international winter sports industry.
Sustainability initiatives are at the core of Beijing 2022’s operations, and the Organising Committee is at the forefront of contributing to global climate change initiatives.
Guided by the IOC within the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, Beijing 2022 shows positive will use advanced technology to maximise the positive impact of the Games.
Innovations include using natural CO2 refrigeration systems in most of the ice venues, which have no impact on the environment.
The Organising Committee also provided an update on the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020/The New Norm initiatives.
the number of medal plazas reduced from three to two; the use of trains to travel between venue clusters; the appointment of a ticketing service provider; a venue capacities review; and increased collaboration and combined forums between the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
There are also important initiatives to further improve the experience of Games participants.
Preparations for the test events continue to be on track.
The first test event, the International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine Skiing World Cup (Downhill & Super G), will take place on 15 and 16 February 2020.
The organisers are working closely with the FIS to host a successful competition.
Construction of sports venues remains on schedule for delivery before the test events. The Olympic Villages in Beijing, Zhangjiakou and Yanqing and the medals plazas will be delivered in spring/summer 2021.
IOC TOP partner Alibaba has been appointed as Beijing 2022’s Ticketing System and Services Provider. The ticketing programme will introduce a number of innovations to improve the user experience and ensure full stadiums.
Representatives from each of the seven winter sports International Federations, the National Olympic Committees of Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the USA, and the IPC joined the Coordination Commission for the three-day meeting, helping to provide the Organising Committee with valuable feedback and expertise. —- IOC
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