Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), expressed his confidence in China hosting the coming 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

"The preparations are going very, very well," said Bach in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Sunday. "We are deeply impressed in the way that China was handling the coronavirus pandemic. The determination, not only to contain the virus, but to eradicate the virus, we could see a lot of Chinese efficiency in all these efforts."

COVID-19 delivered quite a blow to Olympic events in the past two years. For example, both the Tokyo Olympics and the Paralympics had to happen behind closed doors. The 2022 Winter Games will have spectators thanks to China's efforts fighting the coronavirus.

"Nevertheless, at the same time, the preparations for the Games have made progress despite all the restrictions related to the pandemic. And this is really impressive to see that all the venues have already been finished some months ago," said the IOC boss.

Beijing, as one of the three competition zones to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, witnessed a new series of test events take place in the past two weeks.

"Now the test events are starting and they are starting in a way that they can be organized in a safe way. The first responses we have from the athletes taking part in these test events, they are extremely positive. Therefore, we are even more confident in the success of this Winter Olympic Games," Bach told CMG.

He also revealed that the IOC has been working with the Beijing organizing committee, Chinese health authorities and international experts on developing COVID-19 protocols and Winter Olympic playbooks "to make sure that everybody can enjoy these Games in a safe way."

The Olympic flame for the 2022 Winter Games was lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Monday.