Beijing, China, February 3, 2022: Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the 139th IOC Session in Beijing on Thursday morning and thanked the International Olympic Committee for supporting the development of sport in China.
President Xi sent a video message to the Session, which was held at the China National Convention Centre.
President Xi pointed out that the world today, under the combined impact of changes unseen in a hundred years and a once-in-a-century pandemic, was entering a new period of turbulence and transformation and facing multiple challenges to humanity.
“The IOC has led the Olympic Movement in forging ahead with courage and fortitude, playing an important and unique role in galvanizing global solidarity and cooperation to tide over this difficult time,” he said.
He thanked the IOC for its active contribution to the development of sport in China over the years and for its strong support and guidance for China’s bid and preparation for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
President Xi stressed that from “One World, One Dream” in the 2008 Beijing Olympics to “Together for a Shared Future” in 2022, China has taken an active part in the Olympic Movement and consistently championed the Olympic spirit.
In his welcome address, IOC President Thomas Bach praised the “Chinese determination, efficiency and dynamism” in engaging over 300 million people in winter sports and described it as an “extraordinary achievement” that would change the landscape of winter sport around the world forever.
“Thanks to the excellent work of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee, everything is in place for safe and outstanding Olympic Winter Games,” he said.
Later, in his IOC President’s Report, Bach said the winter sports industry in China had yielded 61 billion USD in the last winter season, and this figure was expected to rise to 155 billion USD in value in 2025.
The IOC President looked back on the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer, describing them as “an overwhelming success”, and said they were the most engaged Olympic Games ever due to new technologies and digital innovations.
*Several IOC members, including Ryu Seung-min of Korea, spoke out against FIFA’s plans to hold the World Cup every two years and said the welfare of the players and consideration for other sports must take precedence. The Session agreed to take this up with FIFA at a later date.
*Yang Shu’an, Vice President of Beijing 2022, gave a report on behalf of the organising committee and said the Winter Olympics had always been high on the agenda of the Chinese government. He provided the latest entry numbers: 91 National Olympic Committee taking part with 2,877 athletes, 45 per cent of whom are female. The Beijing 2022 official added that 150,000 spectators would be allowed into the competition venues in a controlled, invitation process as opposed to the public sale of tickets.
*The Session heard the latest update on the covid situation, with 287 positive results among Games personnel from over 610,000 tests.
*The Session approved an initial sports programme of 28 sports for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, including skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. The three sports of boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon are still under review until 2023 due to governance issues.
*WADA provided details on the innovative new dried blood spot (DBS) testing process to be in use at Beijing alongside the more traditional methods to control doping.
*IOC Vice President Ng Ser Miang reported that the IOC finances were in a robust state, with 5.6 billion USD in reserve at December 31, 2021. This included revenue of 4.2 billion USD last year, with over 3 billion USD going out to the Olympic Movement around the world.
*At the start of the Session, IOC members paid tribute to former colleagues who had passed away since the previous meeting, notably former IOC President Jacques Rogge and former IOC Director General Francois Carrard.
*The 139th IOC Session will continue in a hybrid format with athlete elections on February 19, the day before the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.