President: Nation will host ‘clean, pure’ Games

President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s resolve to host a Winter Olympics that is “clean and pure as the ice and snow” on Thursday as he met with Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee in Beijing.

Xi said in the meeting that Beijing will strive to present the world with a green, shared, open and incorruptible 2022 Games.

He said the Chinese government has zero tolerance toward doping and Chinese athletes should win a clean gold medal for the Olympic spirit and obey rules and laws even if they are unable to win a gold medal.

China considers preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics to be of great importance, and work on all fronts is moving forward steadily. China has transformed itself into a leading contender in many sports, an important indicator of the country’s improved national strength, he added.

The greater visibility of winter sports and improvements in public health align with China’s “Two Centenary Goals” — to build a moderately prosperous society and to become a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious — Xi said. He added that hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics will bring opportunities for China to advance in international sports cooperation.

Xi said China’s concepts for hosting the Winter Olympics are in line with the joint building of the Belt and Road, the promotion of green civilization development and the country’s anti-corruption drive.

Sports exchanges are increasingly becoming a part of China’s exchanges with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Bach, who visited proposed venues for the Games in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, and in Beijing before the meeting, said he was deeply impressed with the pragmatic, efficient, vitalized preparations.

He said he has seen Chinese athletes’ diligent preparations as well as proposed venues combining the legacies of the 2008 Summer Olympics with sustainable development and the public expressing enthusiasm for winter sports.

Bach said the preparation and hosting of the Olympics will help promote winter sports in China and the world, adding that China’s concepts as host are in line with those of the IOC.

He also expressed satisfaction over the mutual trust and cooperation between the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics organizing committee and the IOC. He said he is confident that China will host a wonderful Winter Olympics.