Beijing makes its case for 2022 Olympic Games

Beijing announced on Wednesday that all key infrastructures in the metropolis and surrounding areas are in place to meet the transportation, accommodation and tourism demands of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Thanks to the region's experience and facilities in hosting international tourists and various major events, the key infrastructure needed to host the 2022 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games already exists and is ready to serve, the Beijing 2022 bidding committee confirmed, while presenting plans for accommodation, transport and media operations to the visiting International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission.

Last year, Beijing welcomed more than 260 million domestic and international tourists exploring the Chinese capital's art, cuisine and entertainment scene, according to the bid committee.

Xiang Ping, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, emphasized on Wednesday that there is no need for new hotels to be built for the Winter Olympics should the bid succeed.

"The IOC requirement for accommodation can be fully satisfied with our existing room supply, which will contribute to making Beijing 2022 truly sustainable and economical," said Xiang.

Beijing plans to host the games in three separate hubs, connecting the venues by quick and efficient transport.

An integral part of the country's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Intercity Rail Master Plan, the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway began in 2014 and will be fully operational by early 2019.

The railway is being constructed independently as a regional development plan regardless of the Olympic bid.

The travel time from Beijing to co-host city Zhangjiakou will be cut to just 50 minutes by rail from the current two hours by cars. The high-speed service will be free of charge for all accredited Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games client groups, ticket-holding spectators and the extensive games workforce.

Vitally, travel time from the Olympic Village to any Olympic venue in each of the three zones in Beijing, Yanqing and Chongli will be within just 5 to 15 minutes to ensure the maximum convenience for athletes and help them perform to their very best.

Multiple motorways, an extensive green public transport system and one of the major airport hubs in Asia all combine to create an integrated transport plan that would provide excellent connectivity, punctuality, reliability and flexibility in the run up to and during the games, the bid committee argued.

Northwest Beijing's Yanqing county, which would only be 20 minutes from downtown on high-speed bullet train, registers a steady annual tourism growth of 4.3 percent with hotel and services development boosted by preparations for the 2019 World Horticultural Expo.

Zhangjiakou, Heibe province, which is proposed to host most of the skiing events in 2022, is a developing winter sports destination which has attracted hotel and resort investment and has been seeing an average annual growth of 28.2 percent in hotel guest nights over the past three years.

Beijing bid committee underlined China's long experience in delivering state-of-the-art media facilities and managing complex media and broadcast operations for large international sports events, including the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Beijing bid committee on Wednesday also explained how it will fully utilize experience and facilities of managing complex media and broadcast operations for large international events such as the 2008 Summer Olympics for the 2022 Winter Games, helping fans all over the world enjoy the games and feel part of the Chinese New Year Spring Festival celebration, which will fall during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC evaluation commission heard plans to host both the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and Main Press Centre (MPC) within the China National Convention Centre (CNCC), which served as IBC for the 2008 Olympics.

Without the need for additional construction or alteration, the CNCC already fully meets the IOC's space and technical requirements, including the broadcast compound and satellite farm. It has a large number of experienced staff who worked on previous games and other major international events.

Yanqing and Zhangjiakou will feature their own dedicated Mountain Media Centers, environmentally-friendly temporary facilities that will be dismantled and removed after the games. Both centers will be located within walking distance of the venues.

Xu Jicheng, deputy director of communications of the Beijing 2022 bid committee, added: "Beijing 2022 will offer excellent and diverse media accommodation options adjacent to the venues and the media centers in mountain and city locations for all budgets and needs. The select media hotels are ideally located and perfectly integrated with the media and public transport systems to provide the media an easy and pleasant overall games and work experience."

On Wednesday afternoon, the IOC evaluation commission delegates visited proposed sites and venues in Yanqing, which would host alpine skiing, luge, bobsleigh and skeleton events.