7msports > Others Video > IOC Evaluation Commission visit Beijing
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Intro:
Beijing's Winter Olympics 2022 bid committee on Tuesday (24th March) welcomed an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission to China's capital at the start of a five-day inspection visit.
Script:
International Olympic Committee evaluators have begun a five-day inspection tour of Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics in a key test of the city's status as a front-runner in the competition for hosting rights.
The 19-member IOC Evaluation Commission is visiting Beijing's sites for hockey, skating and curling, along with the iconic Bird's Nest stadium.
Later in the week, they'll check proposed skiing and sliding venues further outside the city.
Beijing is competing against Almaty, Kazakhstan.
State Council Vice Premier Liu Yandong believes that hosting the games will encourage Chinese people to appriciate winter sports:
SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Liu Yandong, State Council Vice Premier:
"The Chinese government and 1.3 billion Chinese people are genuinely looking forward to having the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. In China, more and more people like winter sports, and hosting the Winter Olympics will not only get 300 million people involved in ice and snow sports, it will also give more Chinese people an appreciation for the appeal of Olympic winter sports."
Most of Beijing's proposed venues are left over from the 2008 Summer Olympics, allowing cost savings in keeping with the IOC's Olympic Agenda 2020 goals for a more frugal games.
Beijing plans to spend $3.9 billion on infrastructure and operations, a tiny fraction of the $51 billion spent by Russia on the 2014 Sochi Games.
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IOC Evaluation Commission visit Beijing
Wednesday, March 25 2015Category:Others