Duel for 2022 Winter Games: Beijing vs Almaty - Both candidates plan to build artificial track

Lausanne (RWH) There are now just two candidates left in the race to host the Olympic WinterGames in 2022, with Beijing (China) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) lying neto the meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) on July31, which will make the final decision.

The city of Almaty has a populationof the Tien Shan Mountains. Its compact Games concept focuses onshort distances, with 70 per cent of the sports facilities within 30kilometres of the Olympic Village. The area gets plenty of snow in thewinter and thecompleted and will be used during the Winter Universiade in 2017.The Olympic luge, bobsleigh and skeleton track will be built next tothe existing ski jump as part of what is called the "Sunkar Cluster."

If the Winter Games are held in Beijing, which hosted the SummerGames in 2008, the athletes can expect longer travelling times andcompetitions on artificial snow. The alpine events are planned for theYanqing zone, 90 kilometres from Beijing, wherebobsleigh and skeleton track will be built. The biathlon, cross countryskiing, ski jumping, snowboard and freestyle skiing will be held 160kilometres from China’s capital in Zhangjiakou. The Opening Ceremonyis planned for the Bird’s Nest stadium, which hosted the track and fieldevents at the 2008 Olympics.

The IOC Evaluation Commission published its report on the two candidate cities at the end ofMay, and noted that the evaluation had been conducted on the basis of the IOC Agenda2020 for the first time ever. The reform proposals had a "profound and positive effect" on thebid process for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. "Both Almaty and Beijing have embracedthe spirit of Olympic Agenda 2020 and its’ emphasis on legacy, sustainabilitycontainment," the report states. "Both cities took steps to optimize their Games plans tomanage costs and ensure positive, sustainable legacies."

But the report also raised considerable doubts regarding the candidate cities. The summaryon Beijing, for example, states: "The large theatre of operations, with three zones andseveral venue clusters, complicates security planning and operations." Only the icecompetitions would take place in Beijing.

Looking at Almaty, the Commission is satisfied ttimes, but is of the opinion that it "would require a high degree of support from the IOC andother Games stakeholders to deliver successful Games."

For more information, please contact:

Wolfgang Harder

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wolfgang.harder@t-online.de

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