Beijing 2022's extensive legacy plans include:
Significant development of China's winter sports industry and market
Wide ranging extension of the Olympic school education program nation-wide, with millions of teenagers offered opportunities to practice winter sports under the national plan of the General Administration of Sport of China,
Delivering a new model of sustainable development for the region and beyond, which will positively impact many generations to come
Creating approximately 600,000 new jobs across sports, culture, tourism and leisure industries through a National Strategy of the Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Cultural and Tourism Belt.
What is the potential of winter sports development behind the Beijing 2022 Bid?
Wang: Winter sports in China enjoy a long history, a broad support base and a bright future.
A modern winter sports culture has been developing in China over the past twenty years, as evidenced by our country's participation in ten winter Olympics, winning fifty-five medals, in addition to the northeastern city Harbin's bid for the Olympic Winter Games back in the year 2002. China held its first own National Winter Sports Games since 1959 and has subsequently held 12 successful sessions so far.
It is no coincidence that alongside a greater frequency of China-hosted events, including two Asian Winter Games which took place in China in 1996 and 2007, the XXIV Winter Universiade in Harbin in 2009; the Men's Curling Championship in Beijing in 2014; legs of the FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup in Beijing, Jilin, Changchun, Shenyang, and Harbin from 2004-2014; or the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai last March or China's 5th Artistry On Ice - a global ice show featuring global Olympic champions, which will be held in Beijing in July - more and more Chinese have started to discover ice hockey, skiing and figure skating as new and exciting ways of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The past decade has also seen China's winter sports market attract enormous investments and the building of approximately 400 ski resorts all over the country. Chinese New Year this February brought 1.5 million tourists to Zhangjiakou's ski resorts, leading to a 25% year-on-year increase. Another statistic to consider is that Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey games in China actually attract a bigger television audience than they do in Canada, despite live broadcasts in China having to start at 6 or 7 a.m. in the morning!
The timing of the Beijing 2022 bid could not be better, as it has arrived amidst the proliferation of winter sports in China. The excitement of hosting the 2022 Games would also, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, "inspire over 300 million Chinese to participate in winter sports." This means that the fervor, which has been building in recent years, could transform winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding and ice hockey into full-fledged national pastimes.
Snow conditions and water management are important aspects for the snow venues. How will you ensure that the arrangements will be sustainable for the Games and beyond?
Wang: The Beijing 2022 Bid Committee has ensured that the areas in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou designated for outdoor snow sports, such as skiing, snowboard and biathlon, meet the snow fall standards of the International Olympic Committee. Data included in official reports released by the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, as well as thorough analysis of meteorological data of the past decade, notably show that:
The temperatures of the designated competition area in Yanqing, located 1,300 meters above sea level, are situated on average between -9 C and -1.1 C, with a stable freezing period from mid-November to end of March (140 days on average). In the area, the snow cover reaches a depth of 20.2 cm on average and can go as high as 65 cm.
The temperatures of the designated competition area in Zhangjiakou, located above 1,248 meters above sea level, are situated on average between -15.2 C and -9.3 C, with a stable freezing period from end of October to beginning of April (165 days on average). In the area, the snow cover reaches a depth of 21 cm on average and can go as high as 72 cm.
Zhangjiakou is already known as a popular ski tourism destination among local citizens with five ski resorts totalling more than one hundred ski tracks successfully operating in the area. These resorts have become the training bases for ski athletes from China and other Asian countries as well as a popular recreational destination for ski enthusiasts.
