Approval rating is rarely seen in other world cities: Beijing mayor

Over 9 in 10 Chinese people support the decision to hold the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Beijing mayor Wang Anshun said Tuesday.

Wang, who also headed Beijing's bid for the Games, said at a briefing on Tuesday that an opinion poll showed that more than 90 percent of the Chinese people supported the bid, while Beijing and its bidding partner, Zhangjiakou, North China's Hebei Province enjoy higher public support, with 92 percent and 99 percent, respectively.

"Such support is rarely seen in other cities bidding for the Winter Olympics and it fully reflects the Chinese people's excitement over the Games," he said, adding that the poll was not conducted by the Chinese government.

Last month, Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, making it the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

"Europe has hosted the Summer and Winter Olympics at least 30 times, while Asia has only hosted those events five times," Wang said.

Analysts said that the Games could help boost China's social and economic growth and accelerate the regional integration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and citizens said they welcomed the bid for the concrete benefits it would bring.

Di Yuchen, a Zhangjiakou resident, told the Global Times that the bid could attract more visitors to the city to boost its economy. "Zhangjiakou is a city with good food and beautiful natural scenery. This will be our chance to show the city to the world," he said.

Several citizens reached by the Global Times said they look forward to the Games since authorities have promised to curb air pollution.

Beijing plans to cut the density of PM2.5, airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, by around 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2022.

Zhang Wei, a 25-year-old skiing instructor at the Wanlong Ski Resort in Zhangjiakou, said winning the bid means the resort can expect an increase in visitors, which would increase his earnings.

Wang said it is wrong to believe China is weak at winter sports and suffers from poor facilities, and the Games will boost winter sports around the world.

In addition, a high-speed railway service linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou, where some of the skiing events will be held, is expected to be completed by 2019, greatly reducing travel time between the two cities.

China will host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games from February 4 to 20 and the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games from March 4 to 13.

Xinhua contributed to the story