Beijing Named Host for 2022 Winter Olympics
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The Chinese delegation leapt to their feet inside the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center as IOC President Thomas Bach revealed that Beijing had won the vote cast to determine the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games.
Voting was held by secret ballot among the IOC members, who had assembled for the 128th IOC Session, and the Chinese capital city was selected by a narrow margin, defeating the bid of Almaty, Kazakhstan by just 4 votes in a 44-40 decision.
The selection was an historic one for the Olympic movement, as Beijing will become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games.
Despite not having a climate particularly suited for winter sports, Beijing’s bid had the advantage of a larger metropolitan area to accommodate athletes and officials and newer existing facilities in place following the 2008 Summer Games, both of which fit the IOC’s commitment towards more sustainable development for host cities, so as to avoid the cost overruns that have plagued the process for decades.
Events will be held in 3 “clusters”:
Beijing: Opening and closing ceremonies, ice events (hockey, figure skating, speed skating, short track)
Yanqing: alpine skiing, luge, skeleton, and bobsleigh events
Zhangjiakou: Nordic events (cross-country, biathlon, ski jump), snowboarding, and freestyle events
Yanqing is located 55 miles from Beijing, while Zhangjiakou is 135 miles from the capital.
In an official statement, the Beijing bid committee released the following statement after being named hosts:
“We are honoured and humbled by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to award Beijing the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It is with an incredible sense of excitement that we express our thanks to the IOC and the wider Olympic movement. Just as with the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, the Olympic family has put its faith in Beijing again to deliver the athlete-centred, sustainable and economical Games we have promised.
“This will be a memorable event at the foot of the Great Wall for the whole Olympic family, the athletes and the spectators that will further enhance the tremendous potential to grow winter sports in our country, in Asia and around the world. We would like to congratulate Almaty 2022 for their campaign. We wish to thank once again all the Chinese people and people around the world who have supported Beijing 2022 in this extraordinary bid journey.”
In a separate vote, the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, was selected as the host of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
