IOC EB turns attention to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng visits the National Ski Jumping Center at Zhangjiakou on September 3. © Xinhua/Ding Lin
Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng visits the National Ski Jumping Center at Zhangjiakou on September 3. © Xinhua/Ding Lin

Lausanne, Switzerland, September 7, 2021: Now that the curtain has fallen on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, all eyes turn to Beijing for the third and last leg of the Asian hat-trick of Olympic Games hosting.

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board will meet by videoconference on Wednesday, September 8, and the report on preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022 will be a major talking point.

The IOC EB members will be updated first by the organising committee and then by the Chair of the Coordination Commission, Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Last week, the organising committee announced that all venues and related infrastructure would be in place for test events later this year.

All 12 venues hosting ice and snow competitions in Beijing's city proper, Yanqing District and Zhangjiakou in neighbouring Hebei Province were put through their paces earlier this year through a series of test programmes.

As for the nine non-competition venues, such as media centres and Olympic villages, eight have been put into operation and the renovation of the last one, the National Stadium known as the Bird’s Nest for the opening and closing ceremonies, will be finished next month.

More than 30 supporting infrastructure projects were finished by June, including a high-speed railway, expressways, and a green power grid. They all aim to promote sustainability, and all the venues will be open for public use for winter sports after the Games.

The Beijing Winter Olympics will run from February 4-20 and will complete the Asian hat-trick following the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 and Tokyo 2020.

Programme of the IOC Executive Board meeting on September 8 (Central European Time):

*12 – 12.05 pm, Welcome by the IOC President, Thomas Bach

*12.10 pm, Report by the IOC President

*12.30 – 4 pm, Report on the International Olympic Summer Sports Federations

*Report on the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations

*Report on the National Olympic Committees

*Report from the Athletes

*Tokyo 2020 Review

*XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022

- Report presented by the Organising Committee

- Report presented by the Chair of the Coordination Commission, Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch

*Report of the IOC Administration

*Miscellaneous

*5.30 pm, IOC Press Conference