Safe, smooth Games urged
Two sessions debate stresses importance of delivering simplified, sustainable Olympics
With Beijing going all out in its final preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics, legislators and policy advisors from China’s sports community have called for meticulous efforts to ensure smooth delivery and a lasting legacy for the Games.
Organizational progress on infrastructure, COVID-19 protocols and post-Games legacies for the winter sports extravaganza sparked plenty of debate during the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the highest political advisory body.
Even with the pandemic still casting a shadow over the global sports scene, the Chinese government’s commitment to guaranteeing the feasibility of the Games in a safe and simplified manner remains strong, according to Zhang Jiandong, a vicemayor of Beijing and a deputy to the 13th NPC.
“We will fully implement the central government’s guideline of hosting the Games with a simplified, safe and excellent approach,” Zhang, also executive vice-president of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee, told Xinhua on March 6.
“Despite tough challenges posed by the pandemic, we will work with all parties involved to ensure the smooth delivery of the Games on schedule.”
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games will open in Beijing on Feb 4 next year with the city’s downtown area hosting all ice sports and its northwest Yanqing district and co-host city Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, staging snow events.
With all 12 competition venues completed by the end of last year, organizers are proceeding with final preparations on non-competition facilities, venue tests and Games services, while developing coronavirus prevention measures to ensure that Beijing will be ready in time to impress the world again when the Olympic flame burns for a second time in the Chinese capital, according to Zhang.
His confidence was highlighted in the annual Government Work Report, delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the fourth session of the 13th NPC on March 5.
Citing the importance of promoting greater sports participation and healthy living, Li urged organizers and relevant departments to make “meticulous preparations” for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games one of the government’s priorities this year.
“With less than a year to go before the opening of the Games, our tasks are arduous,” said Zhang, noting challenges posed by the pandemic and China’s lack of experience in staging world-class winter sports in complex weather conditions.
A series of successful domestic test events in February shed light on improvements that Beijing 2022 organizers could make to enhance athletes’ experience at the Games.
Featuring only domestic competitors due to the ongoing pandemic, 20 events spanning Olympic and Paralympic skiing, snowboarding and sliding disciplines took place from Feb 16-26 at six venues in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, putting competition courses, meteorological monitoring, event rescheduling and epidemic control protocols to the test.
The rehearsal was part of an “adapted sports testing program” implemented last November by Beijing 2022, the International Olympic Committee and relevant winter sports federations after they were forced to modify original test plans in response to the pandemic.
“We achieved the goals set for the tests,” said Zhang. “We are now reviewing all the test results and will optimize our preparation accordingly and effectively to improve the level of operation during the Games.”
Citing the Games’ value in popularizing winter sports in the world’s most populous nation, deputies and advisors at the two sessions proposed focusing more on the legacy of Beijing 2022 to benefit the sustainable development of winter sports in China.
Thomas Wu, a member of the CPPCC’s sports panel and a vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, stressed in his proposal that the development of new Olympic projects will take the post-Games operation into full account.
“How to use new Olympic venues after the Games and maximize the value of such facilities is an interesting yet challenging topic for any host, and Beijing 2022 is no exception,” said Wu, a Hong Kong entrepreneur and avid hockey promoter, in his proposal shared with China Daily.
In addition to hosting the national teams’ training programs and other international competitions, Wu suggested that property owners and operators should diversify venue functions to explore business opportunities in tourism, conferencing and mass fitness to keep these facilities “profitable and sustainable” after the Games.
As part of Beijing 2022’s official sustainability plan published in June, plans to turn all newly built Beijing 2022 venues into elite training bases, hosts for World Cup events and sports recreational destinations have been implemented by organizers and facility owners. These venues include the National Speed Skating Oval in the capital’s downtown area and the National Sliding Center in Yanqing district.
The renovation of three existing venues, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, into winter sports facilities for curling and ice hockey in 2022 earned praise from the international sports community.
“The transformation of Olympic venues to serve both the Summer and Winter Games has provided an excellent example for the hosts of largescale events in the future toward sustainability. This will be a major characteristic of Beijing 2022,” said Wu.
As the country attempts to make good on its promise of involving 300 million people in winter sports by 2022, the lack of expertise in grassroots training and facility management in the winter sports sector should be also addressed, said Yang Yang, a CPPCC member and former Winter Olympic champion.
Yang, who won China’s first and second Winter Olympic gold medals at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, United States, filed a proposal to this year’s session calling for better training of skiing and skating instructors at the grassroots level, and more professional management of facilities after Beijing 2022.
“Participation in winter sports among the public will keep growing beyond 2022, making it critical to offer safe and professional skill training as well as customer services to help more people first understand and then continue to enjoy winter sports,” said Yang, who currently chairs Beijing 2022’s athletes’ commission.