Culture
11:25, 26-Feb-2018
IOC chief Thomas Bach expresses great confidence in Beijing Winter Olympics
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The Olympic Winter Games were "handed off" to Beijing on Sunday during the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Games on Sunday. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, who presented the Olympic flag to the mayor of Beijing, Chen Jining, expressed great confidence in Beijing 2022.
“It’s going smoothly, and we can see the vision coming true,” Bach told CCTV5.
On the one hand, Beijing is using its legacy from the 2008 Summer Olympics, on the other it is building a new destination for winter sports and "attracting millions and millions of Chinese people to winter sports," he said.
"This is a great combination of two goals of Olympic Games".
The Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games has transformed an old steel mill in Beijing's western suburbs to host its headquarters. The Chinese athletes' training center is also located on the same premises, with plans to hold some competitions there.
Bach said it is a great example to show how the Olympic Games could be a catalyst to promote long-term planning and development of a city or a country.
The IOC chief said he is looking forward to the event setting a benchmark for sustainable Olympic Games.