Venues for 2022 draw IOC praise

INTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr says the Beijing 2022 Olympic venues will be landmarks for everyone taking part in winter sports.

Samaranch, who is in Beijing to attend the 4th IOCBeijing 2022 Project Review, said he was impressed by the solid preparation by the Beijing Organizing Committee.

“They are very, very proficient. They know what they are doing. They know what they have on their hands. Of course there are things we can learn together to do better,” Samaranch said after yesterday’s meeting.

During the two-day meeting the IOC and the BOC held discussions on construction of venues and marketing.

The IOC official also mentioned the importance of the “New Norm” to promote the Olympics more efficiently.

“We just presented and approved at the IOC Session a couple of months ago the ‘New Norm’, which is how to make the organization of the Olympic Games more efficient with less cost, and focusing on (its) legacy. We’ll be discussing that ... how to implement the ‘New Norm’ within the working plans already existing in Beijing,” he said.

Samaranch believes Beijing 2022 venues will not only be landmarks for winter sports in the world, but also benefit local communities with a “win-win” legacy.

“We’ve been reviewing the venues. They are to the utmost standards of any international federation. So when they are built, they will be the best venues in their particular specialties in the world,” Samaranch added.