Govt expects Winter Games bid to improve Beijing’s air

Beijing-Zhangjiakou bid stresses frugalilty, reuse of 2008 venues key

Concerns over expense and the capital's intractable air pollution problem have led to a rather muted reaction to the news that Beijing is one of three official candidates to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Others have brushed aside worries that many of the venues will be under-used, saying that it will be a good opportunity to improve the environment and upgrade infrastructure in the host cities, and boost development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Beijing and Zhangjiakou, a city northwest of Beijing in Hebei Province, will co-host the Games.

The announcement that Beijing would host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games was met with almost universal approval.

The two other candidate cities are Almaty in Kazakhstan and Oslo, Norway, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.

The candidates will submit detailed bids to the IOC by January 7 next year and a panel of experts will then visit the cities. The IOC will announce the final decision on July 31.

Yang Shu'an, deputy director of the General Administration of Sport, said the bid is very important for China and the two cities would work hard to win the Winter Games.

Compared to Oslo and Almaty, Beijing scored lowest on environmental impact but scored high on government and public support, according to an IOC report on potential candidates.

Yang said the bidding will accelerate the process of cleaning air pollution.

Many Internet users expressed doubts, saying local authorities made the same promises before the 2008 Games, but Beijing's air quality has only gotten worse.

Six cities in Hebei saw the worst air pollution nationwide in 2013, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Beijing was also one of the worst hit cities nationwide.

The Beijing government said recently it would spend nearly 50 billion yuan ($8 billion) to reduce air pollution.

Ye Tanglin, an urbanization expert with the Capital University of Economics and Business, said that a bid for another Olympic Games would promote economic development and investment opportunities in a less-developed city like Zhangjiakou and would influence the entire North China region.

"But Beijing has been overwhelmed by a large population and will face great pressure if it wins," Ye said.

Construction of a 174-kilometer high-speed railway between Beijing and Zhangjiakou began in 2013. The journey is expected to take 40 minutes.

Zhangjiakou can seize the chance to improve the city's infrastructure and promote structural changes, Ye said, but he is also concerned that the housing prices would surge if it won the bid and local residents would complain.

As for concerns about huge investment needed to build the competition venues, Jeff Ruffollo, who worked in the media center for the Beijing 2008 Games, said the Winter Games can reuse some of the existing venues.

"They can spend less money on building venues," he told the Global Times, adding that the huge outlay Russia spent on the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, reportedly $50 billion, was the reason many people opposed the bid.

According to Beijing's bidding plan, only three new stadiums need to be constructed for the Winter Games and the rest could be transformed from existing venues.

IOC President Thomas Bach said on Monday the IOC will contribute about $750 million to the host city and expressed confidence that local organizers will break even or make a profit. He cited a projected $200 million surplus for Russian organizers.

Other potential candidate cities dropped out of the bid process, citing fears over expense. In May, 70 percent of residents of Krakow, Poland voted against the city's bid, the Associated Press reported. Stockholm in Sweden had already withdrawn in December 2013 over financial concerns.

Wang Hui, Beijing government spokesperson, said that China would be frugal in its approach to the Games.

"We have accumulated experience and are familiar with international norms. This time we do not have to start from zero," Wang told the Global Times, despite admitting that venues will have to be constructed or adapted for winter sports. The 2008 venues built in universities have been well-used, she noted.

But that does not convince opponents who believe that winter sports have limited appeal in China.

"China displayed its capability by successfully holding the Games in 2008," said Jin Ma, a former media expert with the 2008 Games. "There is no need for it to stage the show again."

China has been a venue for many major international sports events, including Summer Olympic Games, Asian Games, Universiade. It will host the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in August.