Beijing 2022 can set new bench mark for sustainable Olympics: IOC president

PYEONGCHANG - Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), believes that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will set a new standard for sustainability.

"The Beijing 2022 can set a new bench mark for a sustainable Olympic Games, on one hand benefiting from the legacy of the Beijing 2008 and on the other developing a new winter sports destination in a sustainable way," Bach told Xinhua Monday at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

The German spoke highly of China's preparations for the Beijing Winter Games with still four years to go.

"We can already see now the great success of the marketing program of the Beijing 2022," he said.

According to Bach, although the Beijing organizers have achieved a marketing revenue doubling the figure planned in the candidature procedure, they will not just spend the money but to focus on reforms of the "new norm."

IOC Tuesday announced an ambitious set of 118 reforms, in the name of "The New Norm", to reimagine how the Olympic Games are delivered.

Bach said that the "new norm" has already been carried out in the preparations of the Beijing Winter Olympics as the organizers will repurpose a number of venues from the 2008 Games for 2022 to reduce costs.

He also said that Beijing 2022 will leave "not only a tangible legacy, but also leave a great intangible legacy of the winter sports development for China's young generations."