Beijing answers Olympic concerns
Print Edition
AIR quality and snow conditions are two of the major challenges for Beijing’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, but the city’s bid officials yesterday said they had the answer to those concerns, promising clean air and plenty of snow.
“We will improve the air quality not only for the Games but also for the demand of our people,” said Shen Xue, Vancouver Olympic gold medalist and ambassador for the Beijing 2022 bid. “No matter whether we win the bid or not, we will take efforts to improve the air quality.”
In an effort to tackle air pollution, Beijing upgraded its coal-fired heating system in urban areas to a natural gas system and closed heavy-polluted plants. Neighboring city Tianjin and provinces including Hebei adopted similar measures to give Beijing a hand.
“We can feel since last year the great improvement of the air quality in Beijing,” said Zhao Hongbo, Shen’s husband, who is also an Olympic champion and Beijing’s bidding ambassador.
“Technically the pollution has been reduced and controlled, we have seven more years to go and it will be sunshine and white clouds,” said Xu Jicheng, deputy director of Beijing 2022’s press and communications department.
“Our mountain venues have high-quality air. When we talk about fresh air in China, we are talking about Qingdao, the city hosting the sailing event in the 2008 Olympic Games, and the mountain area in Zhangjiakou and Yanqing, they are deep in the mountains. So they have already reached the Olypmic standard, and even better,” Xu said. “I have the confidence.”
Lack of natural snow was considered another disadvantage for Beijing’s bid. But climate conditions in Zhangjiakou’s Chongli County, where cross country, freestyle and other skiing events will be held if Beijing wins the bid, won’t be a concern, the official said.
“The last snow season in the Chongli resort, the snowfall is 70 centimeters, so that’s enough for the Winter Olympic Games,” said Xu.
“Chongli is one of the earliest snowfall areas in East Asia. The snow started in late October, and the snow quality there is one of the best in the world.”
Beijing 2022 promises a high-speed train to take athletes from Beijing Olympic Village to Chongli Olympic Village.
“Exactly 52.5 minutes is the travel time from Beijing to the competition venue, of course it will take time to get on and off the train,” said Wang Xiaotao, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission. He said the overall time from village to village would be 70 minutes.
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