Tokyo, Japan, July 21, 2021: Beijing 2022 officials reaffirmed their commitment to host a “simple, safe and splendid” Olympic Winter Games in China next February.
On the second day of the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo on Wednesday, IOC Vice President Yu Zaiqing introduced the progress report on behalf of the organising committee.
“Everything is going right with the preparation of the Games. So far, so good,” he said.
The IOC Members heard that all 12 competition venues in the three zones have been completed, along with the main Olympic Village in Beijing. The two other villages at Yanqing and Zhangjiakou will be completed soon.
The marketing programme is running smoothly with 45 partners already signed up, and 1.12 million people have applied to be volunteers; these two points highlight the interest and enthusiasm for the Games from the corporate world and the public.
The remaining tasks include the release of the medal design, the route of the torch relay and the programmes for the opening and closing ceremony, with the main focus on coronavirus countermeasures and the health and safety of everyone connected to the Winter Games.
Organisers also stressed that quarantine-free visits for key Olympic personnel from the IOC, International Sport Federations and National Olympic Committees were being planned in cooperation with the Chinese government and health authorities.
Beijing 2022 also plans to have spectators at the venues in six months’ time – a key component of China’s goal to introduce winter sports to 300 million people through Beijing 2022.