What of Pyeongchang’s practices will be adopted and upgraded in the preparatory work of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games?

The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games has concluded and the Olympic Winter Games have entered the “Beijing Cycle”. Some of the practices of PyeongChang 2018 have provided reference and inspiration for improving the preparatory work of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. For example, PyeongChang 2018 focused on the work of creating “Cultural Olympics”, “Peace Olympics” and “High-tech Olympics”, aiming to highlight domestic sports and cultural elements.

In the preparatory and staging process of the Olympic Winter Games, Beijing will not only highlight the Olympic spirit of “Faster，Higher，Stronger”, but also fully showcase the Chinese Sports culture, send out the voice of China and tell Chinese stories, integrating Chinese cultural elements with the Olympic Movement and combining the traditional Chinese culture with the Olympic culture. We will tell the full “Beijing Story” and disseminate widely the voice of sport and culture with Chinese characteristics in the form of disseminating Chinese culture and ideas in the process of key projects and milestones in the Games preparation. Up to the end of 2017, the Emblem of Beijing 2022 had been successfully released. In 2018, the call for the mascots of the Games will be rolled out and the call for slogans of the Games will be launched and the slogan released.

Additionally, we have found that running the Games economically is also a practice of PyeongChang 2018. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) put forward the requirement of sustainable development in the Olympic Agenda 2020. Toward this end, the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee adopted some measures to reduce the cost of the Games.

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the preparatory work of the Beijing Winter Games. Following the success of the bid, we established the concept of running “Green, Inclusive, Open and Clean” Games, which fully reflects the spirit and key values of the Olympic Movement and sustainable development in the New Era. In this regard, President Bach expressed his hope that Beijing 2022 will set up a new model in running the Games economically which is promoted by the IOC. He spoke highly of our practice of using the former Shougang Industrial Area for office and the venue for Big Air competitions. He deemed that the practice of transforming the industrial inheritance into museums, sports venues, leisure facilities and office buildings has demonstrated the importance that Beijing has placed on sustainable development.

Beijing has taken over the Olympic flag for the Olympic Winter Games in 2022. In the Games preparation, we will be aiming to the delivery of a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent edition of the Olympic Winter Games, by showcasing to the world China’s splendid culture and history as a civilized ancient country and charms of the New Era, and telling the “Chinese Stories” about the progress and development China has achieved and the “Beijing Stories” about the “dual Olympic city”, with a view to promoting the mutual understanding of all the people in the world and contributing to the world with a special legacy of “dual Olympic city”.

What cooperation and exchanges has BODA conducted with other Olympic cities?

The Olympic Games Beijing 2008 has generated a rich legacy. Following the Games, to promote city development by utilizing the rich Olympic legacy, the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) was established in Beijing with the strong support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC). BODA is a non-profit social organization working for the mission of “carrying forward Olympic spirit, inheriting Olympic legacy, building a better city and benefiting the residents”. Since its establishment, BODA has been disseminating Beijing’s experience in Olympic legacy inheritance by organising exchanges among Olympic cities and extensively publicizing the preparatory work of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, in an unremitting effort to build Beijing into an “international exchange center”.

Taking the Olympic Games as a platform to tell “Chinese stories”. During the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, which was concluded not long ago, we set up the “China House” in cooperation with the COC and the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (Beijing 2022). As a window for international exchange, image promotion and cultural communication, the China House showcased the Chinese culture and history of winter sports development in China, the preparatory work of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the vision and concept of the Games, the venue and sports zone planning, as well as Beijing’s efforts in inheriting and utilizing Olympic legacy as a “dual Olympic city”, in order to comprehensively publicize and demonstrate the Games preparations, and display Beijing’s cultural charms and the public yearning for the Games and winter sports. It has attracted officials of the IOC and IFs, NOC delegations and locals.

Since 2010, we have set up “China House” in Montreal, London, Sochi and Rio in cooperation with the COC and Beijing 2022. Taking advantage of the Olympic platform, we have publicized Beijing’s efforts in carrying on Olympic legacy, showcased Beijing’s urban development process and disseminated Chinese traditional culture to the officials of the IOC, IFs, NOC delegations and locals.

Enhancing exchanges among Olympic cities and extending fields of international exchanges. Following the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, we have strengthened our relations with international sports organizations including the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and successfully hosted the Summit of the World Union of Olympic Cities, the 14th IOC World Conference on Sport for All, the 2011 IPC General Assembly and Conference, the Gene and Cell Doping Symposium, the 8th IOC Athletes Career Programme Forum and other important international conferences, thereby further developing our relations with the World Health Organization, SportAccord, International Association of Venue Managers and other international organizations, and opening new fields of international exchanges for Beijing.

BODA has also received delegations from foreign countries including the UK, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Korea and relevant organizations including London 2012, and introduced Beijing’s experience in Olympic Games preparations, thereby playing its positive role in promoting the common development of Olympic cities and enhancing Beijing’s influence in the Olympic family.

Promoting sports, culture and art exchanges. Through the sports and culture carriers such as the Olympic City Cup Beijing World Minor Hockey Invitational and Beijing International Sports Film Week, we have carried out diverse sports and cultural exchange activities with Olympic cities, as well as “Belt and Road” countries and regions. In addition, we have carried out exchange visits among Olympic cities by organising and participating in international conferences. Through the above-mentioned efforts, we have told the true stories about the promotion and development of the Olympic Movement in China, comprehensively displayed the development of Chinese sports culture in the New Era and helped build up Beijing’s new profile for international exchanges.

2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the celebration of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. How will you continue the use of the legacy from the Games?

BODA has witnessed and promoted how Beijing has inherited the Olympic legacy. The rich legacy of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 has been fully integrated into the central work of the city. A significant result is the city’s success in winning the bid for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games which will be held with Zhangjiakou. The success in the bid has made Beijing the world’s first “dual Olympic city” that has hosted the Summer Olympic Games and will host the Winter Olympic Games. In our efforts to inherit the Olympic legacy and support preparations for the Olympic Winter Games, we have developed a deeper understanding of all-round legacy planning:

(1) Taking vision and concept as a guide and target. At the beginning of its bid for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Beijing put forward the concept of “hosting an athlete-centered, sustainable, and economical edition of the Games”, which highly corresponds with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020. Since winning the bid, the Chinese government has attached great importance to the preparatory work and put forward the concept of hosting “green, inclusive, open and clean” Games, which fully reflects the spirit and key values of the Olympic Movement and sustainable development in the New Era. The vision of “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow” put forward at the early stage of the bid has been further developed into “upholding the concept of hosting green, inclusive, open and clean Games to stage fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, with a view to inspiring the youth with the Olympic spirit, introducing winter sports to hundreds of millions of people, promoting development and progress with the Games and enhancing mutual understanding and harmony in the world.” This concept closely following the development trend of the era has provided guidance for the Games preparations. The vision of promoting the win-win development of the Olympic Movement, sports, the host city and the region has set the target for our preparatory efforts.

(2) Incorporating targets of city development into Olympic Winter Games planning. Planning must come first before hosting a major sports event. Besides, planning should highly tally with city, regional and national development strategies. This principle was particularly reflected in Beijing’s bid for the Olympic Winter Games. All the plans for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games accord with the Plan for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integrated Development and Beijing Urban Master Plan (2016-2035) issued by the Chinese government, and preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are closely linked with development targets of Beijing and the region.

Venue planning is most important at the early stage of the bid. Beijing formulated the master plan for its bid for the Games with Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province, which defined the overall layout of three Sports Zones: downtown Beijing, Yanqing District (Yanqing County at the early stage of the bid) and Zhangjiakou City. According to the plan, all ice sports will be held in downtown Beijing, Alpine Skiing and Bobsleigh competitions will take place in Yanqing Zone, and the rest will be held in Zhangjiakou. Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway will be built to link the three Zones to ensure the Games-time transportation and traffic integration. Based on the Sports Programme and service requirements of the Olympic Winter Games, 26 venues were planned, of which 13 are competition venues and the rest are for non-competition purposes. Many of these venues were used for the Olympic Games Beijing 2008. The planning for infrastructural construction, competition organization, environmental protection, public engagement and Games services and support will be rolled out. All these plans are important commitments to be honored by the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

(3) Promoting public engagement for a healthier and happier life. After the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, the fitness-for-all campaign has become a national strategy of China. One of the objectives of the bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is to address the problem of inadequate and unbalanced development of winter sports. Therefore, we set the goal of “300 million people to participate in winter sports”. The purpose is to encourage the general public to participate in fitness-for-all activities, especially in winter sports, thereby improving public health.

Promoting nationwide fitness-for-all activities is the mission of BODA. In recent nine years, BODA has made full use of the Olympic legacy to carry out colorful public sports culture activities and provide conditions for public engagement in sports events and sports culture activities. We initiated the Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival and set up a fitness area in the Olympic central area to guide the public, especially the youth, in participating in such sports as basketball, caged football, rock climbing, running and fancy rope skipping. After winning the bid, more winter elements have been added to the Festival, including simulated ice and snow games. The Beijing International Sports Film Week intensified the call for winter sports-themed film and television works. The Olympic education activities included brand events such as campus football, campus winter sports and the World Minor Hockey Invitational based on the characteristics of youth. By organising sports film & television shows, winter sports knowledge classrooms and the exhibition of host cities for Olympic Winter Games, we further disseminate the knowledge of the Olympic Games and winter sports and create conditions for public engagement in winter sports.

We will host “Look Forward to 2022” Olympic Culture Theme Exhibition in August 2018, to mark the 10th anniversary of the successful bid for the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, which will include the Lausanne Olympic Museum “Past and Future of Sports Venues” Theme Exhibition, Beijing Olympic Legacy Inheritance Exhibition, Olympic Winter Games Preparations Exhibition and Sports & Art Exhibition, to review Beijing’s significant achievements in Olympic legacy inheritance and Sports for All campaign in the decade after the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, and to look into the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. In the main exhibition zone, we will integrate the “Past and Future of Sports Venues” Theme Exhibition with the 10th anniversary of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, in cooperation with the Lausanne Olympic Museum, to demonstrate the role of the Olympic Movement in promoting the sustainable development of host cities from the perspective of Olympic venues.

(4) Promoting win-win cooperation through sports and cultural exchanges. After the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, Beijing has hosted a number of international sports events, conferences and exhibitions at the existing Olympic venues. These events include the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, SportAccord Combat Games Beijing 2010, four editions of SportAccord World Mind Games, four editions of Tour of Beijing Professional Road Cycling Race, 2014 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017, 2017 China (Beijing) International Fair for Trade in Services, and World Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo. The Olympic legacy has effectively promoted the development of Beijing.

BODA has actively inherited the Olympic legacy through sports and cultural exchanges. We have strengthened our relations with various international sports organizations including the IOC, IPC, World Union of Olympic Cities and the SportAccord Convention. We have successfully hosted the 14th IOC World Conference on Sport for All, the 2011 IPC General Assembly and Conference, the 3rd Summit of the World Union of Olympic Cities and the 8th IOC Athletes Career Programme Forum. I have the honor to be Executive Vice Chairman of BODA and Vice-President of the Union. Last year, authorized by the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, I participated in the election for the Union Executive Committee on behalf of Beijing and was re-elected. Through the SportAccord Convention and the Summit of the World Union of Olympic Cities, BODA has publicized Beijing’s preparations for the Olympic Winter Games, extensively promoted Beijing’s experience in Olympic legacy inheritance among Olympic cities and host cities of major sports events at home and abroad, and advanced practical cooperation in the field of sports culture. With the focus on preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, BODA will make unremitting efforts in the drive to build Beijing into an “international exchange centre” through sports and cultural exchanges.

(5) Honoring commitments to promote the development of winter sports and related industries. Preparing for the Olympic Games is a process of commitment honoring. During the bid for the Games, Beijing pledged to host the Winter Sports Expo to promote exchanges and cooperation in winter sports and related industries in the world. After successfully bidding for the winter Olympics in 2015, according to the unified planning of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, BODA successfully hosted two editions of the World Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo (Winter Expo) in 2016 and 2017, with the participation of the IOC, seven IFs for Olympic winter sports, leading winter-sports countries from Europe and America and China’s winter sports industry. At the opening ceremony of the Winter Expo 2017, IOC President Bach sent a message congratulating the opening of the event and speaking highly of the Winter Expo.

Winter Expo focuses on winter sports venue and facility construction, winter sportswear and tourism projects, winter sports events, winter sports culture and winter sports development forums. Now the Winter Expo has become a new brand of Beijing’s industrial exhibitions, which has played an increasingly important role in popularizing and developing winter sports, promoting the development of ice & snow industry in China and the world, and assisting in the effort to achieve the goal of “encouraging 300 million people to participate in winter sports”.

(6) Planning for the Olympic legacy to promote sustainable development of the city. As the first Olympic Games subject to comprehensive legacy planning and management after the publication of the Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC and Beijing have both attached great importance to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Beijing will comply with the Olympic Agenda 2020, draw on experience from the previous Games, attach great importance to Olympic legacy planning, in order to create an abundant Winter Olympic legacy, maximize the benefit from hosting the Games, achieve the vision of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, and promote the greater and more sustainable development of Beijing.

BODA is an inheritor of the legacy of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, as well as a major planner of the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games. In the coming years, BODA will be fully engaged in the planning and management of the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games, seek ways to integrate and inherit the summer and winter Olympic legacies, and work as the pioneer and practitioner in carrying forward and utilizing the “dual Olympic legacies”.

The dedicated organization — Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA), was set up by Beijing Municipality after the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, to carry forward the Olympic legacy. And what are the routine work, vision and goals of BODA?

Since its establishment, BODA has endeavored to fulfill the mission of “carrying forward Olympic spirit, inheriting Olympic legacy, building a better city and benefiting the residents”. It has made constant achievements in its effort to carry forward the Olympic legacy.

First, integrate the Olympic legacy with the development of the city. We take the hosting of the Olympic Games as an opportunity to promote the enhancement and innovation of the city’s development strategy. During the preparation for the Olympic Games, Beijing formulated the Cultural Beijing Action Plan, High-tech Beijing Action Plan, and Green Beijing Action Plan to promote the building of “Cultural Beijing, High-tech Beijing, Green Beijing”. After the Games, a number of effective measures were put in place for the daily management of the city. These measures have played a great role in city operation and management in the fields of environmental protection, air pollution control, infrastructure construction, traffic control, application of new technologies, improvement of citizen’s quality and voluntary services.

Second, set up a platform for the utilization of Beijing’s Olympic legacy. BODA, as a non-profit organization aiming for inheriting the Olympic legacy and promoting city development, has gathered a large group of professionals experienced in the preparation for the Olympic Games, further developed the advantages in exchanges and cooperation with the IOC, IPC and other international sports organizations, and accumulated a wealth of experience in organising large-scale cultural and sports events, thereby making contributions to the promotion of the all-round economic and social development of Beijing.

Third, make full use of Beijing’s Olympic legacy for the benefit of the local residents. In 2010, the Olympic City Sports Culture Festival was held in the Olympic central area, which incorporated the resources of sports, education, publicity, culture and others from the whole city. The events last from August 8 to August 24 each year, in which various popular sports and cultural activities are staged to enrich the life of the citizens and promote the fitness-for-all campaign. Up to now, 8 editions have been staged successfully, about 1 million citizens have taken part in the activities annually, which have played an active role in using Olympic legacy to benefit the public and enhance the physical quality of the whole nation. Millions of people joined the events in the last 8 years. In the meantime, Olympic educational activities have been carried out continuously under the theme of “Sports, Healthy and Happy” to encourage young people to participate in sports and promote their all-round development.

Fourth, carry forward the achievements made at the Olympic Games and conduct extensive international exchanges and cooperation. Following the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, we have strengthened our relations with international sports organizations including the IOC and the IPC, and successfully hosted the Summit of the World Union of Olympic Cities, the 14th IOC World Conference on Sport for All, the 2011 IPC General Assembly and Conference, the Gene and Cell Doping Symposium, the 8th IOC Athletes Career Programme Forum and other important international conferences, which have further developed our relations with the World Health Organization, SportAccord, International Association of Venue Managers and other international organizations and opened up new frontiers for Beijing to communicate with the world. BODA has also received delegations from foreign countries including the UK, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Korea and relevant organizations including London 2012, and attended the international conferences such as the SportAccord Convention, Summit of the World Union of Olympic Cities, etc., thereby playing its positive role in promoting the common development of Olympic cities and enhancing Beijing’s influence in the Olympic family.

Fifth, actively research and pass on Beijing’s Olympic legacy. BODA has conducted active research on the Olympic legacy and transfer of Olympic knowledge. In this regard, the Beijing Olympic Museum has been established to collect and preserve items from the Olympic Games, promote the Olympic spirit and demonstrate the journey of hosting the Olympic Games and the great historic achievements of Beijing. BODA has also carried out active research on the Olympic legacy. It has completed the research report Transition from an Olympic City to a Global One, and compiled the Official Report on Beijing Olympic Games, the Collection of Important Documents of Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Annals on the Beijing Olympic Games and so on, which constitute a complete and systematic summary of the experience and practices of the Games.

Sixth, actively explore the effective use of the venues and facilities for the Games. Since the conclusion of the Olympics Games, the Bird’s Nest, Water Cube, National Indoor Stadium, Wukesong Sports Center, National Convention Center and other Olympic venues and facilities have been in use for sports events and large-scale cultural performances, and open to fitness activities of local communities, college and university students and the public in general, as well as tourism and exhibitions, which have greatly facilitated the development of sports, tourist and convention & exhibition industries.

The preparation for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games has been in full swing after the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Working as a permanent organization to carry forward the Olympic legacy, BODA has played a unique role in actively supporting and assisting in the preparation for the Olympic Winter Games. In the future, BODA will continue to assist in achieving the goal of encouraging 300 million people to participate in winter sports, by promoting fitness activities, popularizing the culture and knowledge of Olympic Winter Games and creating a welcoming atmosphere for the Games.

How is Beijing planning and managing this “unique” Olympic legacy, as the city is the first that has hosted Summer Olympic Games and will also host the Winter Olympic Games?

In order to fully participate in the planning and management of the Olympic legacy and serve as a pioneer and practitioner in passing on and utilizing the “dual Olympic legacy”, we have conducted overall planning and design in advance as follows:

(1) Start from the Games preparation. Upholding the concept of hosting green, inclusive, open and clean Games to stage fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, with a view to inspiring the youth with the Olympic spirit, introducing winter sports to hundreds of millions of people, promoting development and progress with the Games and enhancing mutual understanding and harmony in the world.

(2) Conduct all-round planning for the Olympic legacy .The Plan for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integrated Development and the Beijing Urban Master Plan (2016-2035) have defined the overall layout of the three Sports Zones, namely downtown Beijing, Yanqing District and Zhangjiakou City. With the start of the “Beijing Cycle”, the work on infrastructure construction, competition organization, environmental protection, public engagement, Games services and support will all be fully rolled out. The experience to be gained in this process will become an important part of the Olympic legacy.

(3) Benefit the general public with the Olympic legacy. Promoting nationwide fitness-for-all activities is also the mission of BODA. In recent nine years, BODA has made full use of the Olympic legacy to carry out colorful public sports culture activities and provide conditions for public engagement in sports events and sports culture activities. After winning the bid, more winter elements have been added to the Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival, Beijing International Sports Film Week and other Olympic education events. And the activities such as the winter sports knowledge classrooms and the exhibition of host cities for Olympic Winter Games, we further disseminate the knowledge of the Olympic Games and winter sports and create conditions for public engagement in winter sports.

(4) Conduct international exchanges in sports and culture. BODA has constantly strengthened the relations with the IOC, IPC, the World Union of Olympic Cities and the SportAccord Convention, and made unremitting efforts in the drive to build Beijing into an “international exchange center” by organising major international sports conferences and conventions, carrying out international exchanges among the Olympic cities, publicizing Beijing’s efforts in the preparation for the Olympic Winter Games and sharing Beijing’s experience in carrying forward the Olympic legacy.

(5) Promote the development of winter sports industry. Staging the Winter Expo was one of Beijing’s commitments in the bid for the Olympic Winter Games. BODA held two editions of the Winter Expo in 2016 and 2017, with the active participation of international sports organizations, leading winter-sports countries from Europe and America and related domestic enterprises. IOC President Bach spoke highly of the Winter Expo. Now the Winter Expo has become a new brand of Beijing’s industrial exhibitions, which has played an increasingly important role in popularizing and developing winter sports, promoting the development of ice & snow industry in China and the world, and assisting in the effort to achieve the goal of “300 million people to participate in winter sports”.

(6) Create a unique “dual Olympic” legacy. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games is the first edition of Olympic Games that conduct all-round planning and management of Olympic legacy after the publication of the Olympic Agenda 2020. Therefore, the IOC and Beijing have both attached great importance to this effort. In compliance with the Olympic Agenda 2020 and under the guidance of the IOC, Beijing will draw on the experiences of previous Olympic Games and give high priority to the scientific planning of the Olympic legacy, with a view to creating a rich winter Olympic legacy, realizing the vision of the Games and achieving the greater and more sustainable development of Beijing.