Beijing's bid for Winter Olympics picks up steam

With nine months to go before the announcement of the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games on July 31, 2015, Beijing is well prepared for the bid's crucial paperwork, according to an official on the Beijing Bid Committee for the Winter Olympic Games.

Wang Hui, director of the Information Office of the Beijing Bid Committee for the Winter Olympic Games, said that Beijing will submit its official bid files to the IOC before Jan. 7, and that Beijing's bid will pitch the concept of "making sportsmanship, sustainability and frugality core values."

Now that Oslo has withdrawn its bid, Beijing and Kazakhstan's former capital, Almaty, are the only two contenders vying to host the 2022 Winter Games. The IOC will hold its final vote on July 31, 2015.

According to Wang Hui, Beijing has pledged to use some of the existing facilities built for the 2008 Olympics, which will largely reduce spending.

"Although the bid is only a two-rival race, we still feel pressure, and we will focus more on our work," Hui said. "With only nine months to go, our only goal is to do our job better and make Beijing better fit the requirements set by the IOC."

She said, "Sustainability is a very significant aspect that the IOC will ponder. Beijing, as the host city for the 2008 Summer Olympics, already has an advantage in venue and transportation infrastructure."

Beijing is teaming up with Zhangjiakou, located 120 miles northwest of the capital, to bid for the Games. The Beijing Olympic Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, is the planned venue for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Commenting on China's relatively low participation rates in sports such as Alpine skiing and ice hockey, Wang Hui said they have been growing quickly over the last few years with China's economic boom.

As Beijing works hard to grapple with air pollution, the issue of whether Beijing can take on an impressive Games without smog has become a challenge for the capital.

Wang Hui believes that the Winter Olympic Games will compel Beijing to ramp up measures to tackle air pollution.

On October 31, Beijing released a three-minute video depicting scenes of Chinese champions at previous Winter Games and an animation of a planned high-speed rail line that will connect venues in Beijing with those in the mountains in just 50 minutes.

If Beijing is selected as the host city for the 2022 Winter Games, it will become the first city in history to host both summer and winter games.