Leaving a legacy for the future

Report details multiple achievements made during the 2022 Games' preparation

The most significant legacy of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games was the achievement of "engaging 300 million Chinese people in winter sports", a senior official from the organizing committee said on Friday, adding that the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022－Legacy Case Studies report had been released in both Chinese and English on the official website of the Beijing Organizing Committee.

"The preparation of the Beijing 2022 Games greatly ignited the Chinese people's enthusiasm for winter sports and popularized winter sports across China," said Liu Yumin, director-general of the planning and construction department of the Beijing organizing committee.

"We have achieved this solemn commitment of engaging 300 million people in winter sports... I am very happy to have witnessed the millions of people embracing winter sports in China, and gaining health and happiness," he added.

According to the latest survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, 346 million Chinese had taken part in winter sports by October 2021 since Beijing was selected as the host city for the Olympic Winter Games in 2015. The figure is equivalent to 24.56 percent of the country's total population.

As introduced by Liu, other important legacies of the Beijing Games include a swathe of Olympic venues that will benefit local people for a long time after the Olympics, keeping in line with the mission of sustainability and promoting the three main competition areas.

"Beijing 2022 has accelerated the high-quality development of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, as well as the whole region," Liu said.

Marie Sallois, director of Corporate and Sustainable Development of the International Olympic Committee, said that, with Beijing being the first city to host both Summer and Winter Olympic Games, Beijing 2022 has been able to build on the legacy of Beijing 2008.

"Building on these very strong foundations, Beijing 2022 has already delivered its legacy even before the Games began," Sallois said.

Chronicling milestones

The Legacy Case Studies report released by the organizers on Friday includes 44 legacy stories that highlight key legacy practices and achievements in the preparations for the Games.

One is that of the Haituo farmers' skiing team.

According to the study, the team was established by farmers in Yanqing district who love skiing and support the Olympic Winter Games.

Several years after its inception, it had become an important force in promoting ice and snow sports, and encouraging the public to participate in winter sports and the Games.

The Beijing Youth Ice Hockey League, which began in 2008, is another case study. Riding on the enthusiasm unleashed by Beijing 2022 and the campaign to promote winter sports across China, the Beijing Youth Ice Hockey League has grown rapidly in recent years.

It has laid a solid foundation for developing ice hockey as a competitive sport and making it a flagship symbol of the city's winter sports development.