(Sports Focus) IOC recognizes Beijing 2022 Games delivery, huge winter sport potential in assessment

The International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission has underlined the assured Games delivery and huge winter sport potential in its assessment report on Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics which was released on Monday.

The report has confirmed that Beijing 2022 has the key elements in place to stage a highly successful Olympic Winter Games in 2022.

It recognized the significant impact that the Beijing 2008 Games had on the city and the opportunity for the bid to capitalize on the experience and expertise gained from hosting the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, which "has benefitted the 2022 bid and would benefit a 2022 Beijing Games across many operational areas."

The Beijing 2022 Bid Committee said in its statement: "Our strong desire to host an excellent Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2022 has received a significant boost from today's IOC Evaluation Commission report, which recognizes the bid's strengths such as world-class sports venues and infrastructure with identified legacy use, huge market potential, tremendous public and government support, legacy plan closely linked to regional economic development plan and strategy to develop winter sports and related industry.

"The report and our dialogue with the IOC over recent weeks have been highly valuable given our commitment to review any areas where we can make additional improvements, building on our strong bid to ensure it is truly the best offer we can make to the Olympic movement."

The report was released by the IOC Evaluation Commission following its visit to Beijing and Zhangjiakou in March 2015. The commission provided a technical assessment of the 14 themes included within the bid's candidature file.

The IOC Evaluation Commission, led by Alexander Zhukov, IOC member and President of the Russian Olympic Committee, highlighted a number of areas in the Beijing 2022 plans as being particularly strong, including assured delivery based on maximum use of strong existing hosting assets, full government support and significantly high public support for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a national government-supported pledge to increase participation in winter sports and establish a fully year-round sports tradition, a truly sustainable Games concept and truly memorable and unique Games setting.

The report serves as a platform for the detailed technical presentation that Beijing 2022 is set to deliver to all IOC members in Lausanne later this month.

Wang Anshun, Mayor of Beijing and President of the Beijing 2022 Bid Committee, said: "We thank the IOC Evaluation Commission for their detailed review of our bid, which reflects the open and productive dialogue that we had with the Evaluation Commission members throughout their visit to Beijing and Zhangjiakou. This new process has been shown to be very beneficial and we have enjoyed the two-way consultation in the line with the Olympic Agenda 2020.

"It has been a boost for our bid that the IOC Evaluation Commission has praised our work in the areas that we consider central for our bid, such as our focus on athletes, sustainability and cost-efficiency.

"Between now and the host city election, Beijing 2022 will focus on continuing to listen to the Olympic family, while explaining the strengths of our bid and mutual benefits that awarding the Games to Beijing would bring."

A high-level delegation of senior Beijing 2022 officials are set to travel to Lausanne for the 2022 candidate city briefing on June 9-10.

The election of the 2022 Olympics host will be held on July 31 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Endi