Beijing, China, February 20, 2022: The President of Beijing 2022, Cai Qi, said the total support of Chinese President Xi Jinping had led to a “fantastic, extraordinary and excellent” Olympic Winter Games.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday morning, hours before the closing ceremony was due to take place at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium, the BOCOG boss said President Xi had provided “tremendous support all along the way”.
President Xi’s goal was to stage a “streamlined, safe and splendid” Olympic Winter Games and this had been achieved, Cai said.
He pointed out that President Xi had made five visits to competition zones in the build-up to the Games, had held several meetings with IOC President Thomas Bach, had addressed the 139th IOC Session on the eve of the Games and declared the Winter Olympics open on February 4.
In addition, President Xi had attended more than 20 bilateral meetings and other diplomatic activities with visiting heads of states and leaders to build friendship, exchange and cooperation.
“This has shown the world the Chinese people’s sincere wish of and commitment to striving for a bright future together with all people of the world in solidarity,” Cai said.
The BOCOG President said 2,877 athletes from 91 National Olympic Committees had taken part in 109 events, with female participation at over 45 per cent – a record for the Winter Olympics.
He also said the events in the three sports hubs of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou had been watched on TV by 2 billion people around the world creating “an excellent Winter Olympics atmosphere”.
The future is bright, too, as 346 million Chinese people had engaged in winter sports in the six years prior to Beijing 2022 and that International Federations were already planning to hold major events at the “world-class venues.” These venues include the new National Speed Skating Oval, known as the Ice Ribbon, which has been described as having the fastest ice on the international circuit, and the spectacular Big Air Shougang outdoor venue transformed from an old steel mill and described as “super cool” by the athletes.
President Cai said the three Olympic Villages had provided a “safe, cosy and comfortable” environment for the athletes and thanked everyone for following the guidelines in the IOC Playbook in order to counter the pandemic.
“The Olympic Winter Games are coming to a close, but the Olympic spirit will last for ever,” he said, describing the Games as “fantastic, extraordinary and excellent.”