Xi: Advance Beijing 2022 preparations

President emphasizes need for green, shared, open and clean hosting of Games

President Xi Jinping called on Wednesday for coordinated efforts in containing the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to present the world with a wonderful, extraordinary and outstanding Olympic experience.

Xi's remark came after he was briefed about preparatory work for the Games at a meeting in Beijing. On Monday and Tuesday, he had inspected competition venues in the capital and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, the Games' co-host.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, highlighted the importance of adhering to the new development philosophy and ensuring a green, shared, open and clean process in hosting the Games.

The events, slated for February 2022, are a major landmark that comes at the initial stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, and it is important to fully recognize their significance and conduct sound preparatory work with a greater sense of responsibility, mission and urgency, he said.

He urged meticulous efforts in all aspects, saying that work on various fronts needs to be planned or readjusted based on the new situation.

It is important to ensure that the Games are hosted in a simple, safe and wonderful manner and diffuse various risks across the board, he said, adding that the risks of the pandemic must be minimized.

Saying that the Games' preparation has entered a critical period, Xi outlined preparatory work in six aspects and urged their sound implementation.

He called for steps to refine the venues and facilities and ensure that noncompetition venues will be completed on schedule, with targeted measures to add necessary facilities for quarantine, isolation and emergency response in various venues.

He highlighted the need to establish an efficient and forceful command system for the operations of the events to improve the capacity for command and dispatch across different regions and fields.

It is important to move forward with services and logistics work for the event based on the same standard for the three competition areas and ensure that services such as accommodations, dining, transportation, healthcare and security are offered at a high standard, he said.

Coordination and cooperation with international sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee, must be stepped up so that the various measures of pandemic containment are strictly implemented, he said.

To raise China's level of winter sports, Xi urged stronger policy guidance and support to encourage more youth participation in snow and ice sports and more public enthusiasm for ice rinks and ski resorts.

He called for continuous efforts to coordinate the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and to work toward more favorable outcomes in transportation, environment, industries and public services.

The president also urged more proactive steps in planning the use of the venues afterward, including measures to accelerate the development of a Beijing-Zhangjiakou tourism belt for sports culture.

The Beijing organizing committee must better assume its responsibility, faithfully carry out various regulations and mechanisms and conduct stricter budget control to reduce the costs of hosting the event, he said.

It is important to practice frugality and prevent corruption so that the nation will host a Winter Olympics that is as pure as the ice and snow, Xi said.