Meeting IOC chief, Xi says China ready to deliver simple, safe, splendid Winter Olympics

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday told visiting International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach that China is all set to deliver a simple, safe and splendid Winter Olympics.

Xi met Bach, president of the IOC, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, 10 days before the official opening of the Games on Feb. 4.

Xi said "everything is ready" for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Noting that the 2022 Winter Olympics is the first international multi-sport event to be held as scheduled since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said that it is a successful practice of the new Olympic motto -- "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together."

He noted that in hosting the Games, China has received support not only from the Chinese people, but also from the international community.

According to the Chinese president, nearly 3,000 athletes from approximately 90 countries and regions will compete at Beijing 2022, which features more events and will produce more gold medals than any previous Winter Games, providing opportunities for more athletes to realize their dreams.

Xi said that in conformity with the "athletes-centered" concept, China has spared no efforts in constructing venues and infrastructure and providing services for the Games.

China is confident of ensuring the safety of all Games participants, relevant personnel and the Chinese people, he added.

Xi stressed that he had envisioned, early in the bidding stage, that the primary goal of staging the Games is to engage 300 million people in winter sports, and thanks to continuous efforts, this has become a reality.

The 2022 Winter Olympics has also boosted the development of winter sports industry in China, he said.

The hosting of the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing in 2008, the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014 and the Olympic Winter Games in 2022 has ignited Chinese people's passion for the Olympic Movement, boosted the development of sports in China and played an important role in promoting the Olympic spirit around the world.

The notion of "Together," championed by the Olympic Movement, is needed more than ever, Xi noted.

"Instead of riding separately in some 190 small boats, countries around the world should stay together in one giant ship and sail toward a brighter future, and this is why we came up with 'Together for a Shared Future' as the official motto for Beijing 2022," Xi said.

Xi said that China will make new and greater contributions to the Olympic Movement and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Bach thanked China for the excellent and smooth preparatory work for the Games, saying that he was impressed by the outstanding venues, thorough COVID-19 countermeasures and advanced concept of sustainability.

Bach expressed full confidence that the strong measures taken by China will ensure the delivery of safe, smooth and successful Games.

The IOC chief also hailed China's fulfillment of engaging 300 million people in winter sports as an unprecedented, great achievement, saying it will become an important legacy of Beijing 2022 for the Chinese people and for the Olympic Movement.

Some countries are sending athletes to the Olympic Winter Games for the first time, which fully demonstrates the extensive support of the international community for Beijing 2022, Bach said, adding that there is also overwhelming international opposition to the politicization of sports.

Extending the Chinese New Year greetings, Bach said he hoped the Year of the Tiger would not only be a year of courage and strength, but also a year of well-being and happiness for the Chinese people.

He said that the Beijing 2022 Games would be the world's best New Year gift to the Chinese people, and wished for a world of greater unity.