IOC Evaluation Commission arrives in Beijing to experience Beijing 2022 Bid plans first-hand

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) EvaluationCommission has arrived in Beijing ahead of a 5-day inspection visit of the Candidate Cityfor the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Mr. Alexander Zhukov, Chairmanof the IOC Evaluation Commission, IOC member and President of the Russian OlympicCommittee, was welcomed today in the Beijing Capital International Airport by Mr. LiuPeng, Minister of General Administration of Sport of China and President of the ChineseOlympic Committee, and Mr. Wang Anshun, Mayor of Beijing and President of theBeijing 2022 Bid Committee.

The 19-member IOC Evaluation Commission will assess Beijing 2022’s plans throughdedicated visits to proposed venues and receiving in-depth briefings on the bid’s visionto host athlete-centred, sustainable and economical Olympic and Paralympic WinterGames. The programme for the visit was developed in line with recent Olympic Agenda2020 recommendations, which include aims to reduce the costs associated with biddingand a comprehensive assessment of sustainability and legacy aspects.

Wang Anshun, Mayor of Beijing and President of the Beijing 2022 Bid Committee said:

"It is an honour to have the opportunity to present our vision for the Games to the IOCEvaluation Commission. We are ready to demonstrate that Beijing is the right choice forthe Olympic Movement to host the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

"We have developed a highly robust Games concept, founded on athlete-centred,sustainable and economical principles. For the Olympic Family, athletes and fans, Beijing 2022 would provide an unrivalled experience to enjoy the vibrancy of a majorcosmopolitan city and winter sports scenery in the same day.

"For the Evaluation Commission members who recall Beijing from the 2008 Olympic andParalympic Games, they will see the tremendous changes that the city has enjoyed as aresult and catch a glimpse of the endless new opportunities that the 2022 Olympic andParalympic Games can bring."

The Chinese government has launched the "300 Million People Winter Sports Plan" in aneffort to introduce more young people to winter sports and build a base of athletes forfuture Olympics. Chinese President Xi Jinping has said "It (Beijing 2022’s bid) will inspireover 300 million Chinese to participate in winter sports if we win, which will contributegreatly to the development of international Olympic cause."

The visit begins on Tuesday March 24 and is preceded by a day of official meetings onMarch 23. The Evaluation Commission will publish their evaluation report and distributeto every IOC member prior to the Host City election on July 31 2015, which will takeplace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

IOC Evaluation Commission Members

For the full composition of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2022 Winter Games,please refer to the list via the link: http://www.olympic.org/evaluationcommission?tab=winter-games-2022

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