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Brazil praises Beijing's winning winter Olympic bid

Xinhua, August 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Brazil's media on Friday hailed Beijing's choice as the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Folha de S.Paulo said the decision meant the Chinese capital would earn a unique place in Olympic history.

"Beijing will be the first city to host the summer and winter Olympics," the newspaper said on its principal sports page.

Correio do Povo praised the city's responsible planning and desire to increase sports participation levels among the local population.

"Beijing had a very low budget and a regional vision with an objective to develop winter sports among 300 million people who live in the north of China," the newspaper said.

Likewise, Estado de S.Paulo emphasized Beijing's ability to host the Games at a low public cost.

"The city spent 40 billion US dollars in 2008 for the summer games, and has promised now to spend just 3.7 billion US dollars," it said.

O Globo said Beijing's choice meant Asia would be the new focus of the world's major sporting events.

"The decision means three successive Olympics will be held in Asia: Pyeongchang in 2018, Tokyo for the summer Games two years later and then Beijing," the Rio de Janeiro-based newspaper said.

"The main challenge for Beijing now will be to have sufficient snow to host the event," it added.

The Rio 2016 Olympic organizing committee also lauded Beijing's winning bid, highlighting plans to leave a lasting legacy for the city.

"Beijing, which successfully hosted the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, aims to use the 2022 Games to accelerate the development of a new sport, culture and tourism area, and to encourage interest in winter sports," the official Rio 2016 website said.

"The city will use some of the iconic venues built for the 2008 Games, including the Bird's Nest Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies and the Water Cube for curling.

"The ice events will be staged in the city, while snow and sliding events will be held at mountain venues in Yangqing and Zhangjiakou. A new high-speed rail link will link the venue clusters." Endi