Xi calling for a remarkable games
Print Edition
MONEY must be spent properly for the 2022 Winter Olympics that China is to host and no “grandiose” projects must be allowed, President Xi Jinping said yesterday as he toured sites for the Games.
Beijing won the right in 2015 to host the Games.
Touring Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province, where outdoor events like skiing will be held, Xi said costs must be kept under control, while urging local governments to ensure high-quality preparations for the Winter Olympic Games to make it a “remarkable, extraordinary, excellent” event.
“All projects must show the principle of the thrifty and intensive use of resources and the most effective use of resources,” Xi said. “Don’t go in for grandiose projects or rashly put up establishments.”
The budget for the Beijing Winter Games has been pegged at around US$3 billion, far less than the US$51 billion Russia spent on Sochi in 2014.
The Zhangjiakou site is the best natural ski area in northern China, and Xi was briefed about the ongoing work at an exhibition hall.
The president said Zhangjiakou’s plans should be integrated into the wider plans for the Games, adding that all plans should abide by the principle of conserving resources and using funds effectively.
“The construction of sports facilities must be professional, and supporting facilities should embody the characteristics of China and the local areas,” Xi said.
At the Genting ski venue, skiers and tourists saluted the president, and Xi told them to have fun, wishing them a happy Chinese New Year which falls on Saturday.
On learning that the venue was funded and constructed by the Genting Group from Malaysia, he expressed his gratitude to them for their contribution to the Games and said he hoped that Genting would be conscientious and ensure quality facilities.
Meeting a group of children attending a winter camp, he encouraged them to study hard and be bold, but also to be careful when they practiced their skiing.
Xi also visited national ski-team athletes, saying the country would provide all they needed for training and competition.
The president expressed his hope that the national team would train hard, enhance their technical skills and win glory for the country.
Last week, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said he was sure the 2022 Winter Olympics would be a success. He made the remarks during Xi’s visit to IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Beijing 2022 organizing committee, which was set up in December 2015, has assembled a team of more than 170 staff across nine departments and two operational centers.
Construction of Olympic facilities will start this year, including construction of venues for biathlon, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping. Also slated to begin is the renovation of Yunding Ski Field, the proposed venue for alpine skiing in Hebei.
“Hebei will spare no effort in the construction of venues, basic infrastructure construction, and winter sports popularization, in order to lay a solid foundation for a successful Winter Olympics,” Li Pu, a Hebei organizing committee official for Beijing 2022, told reporters.
A worldwide competition was launched in August last year to find an emblem for both the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. A panel is assessing designs and the logo is due to be unveiled later this year.
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