Intro:

The opening ceremony for the 128th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Kuala Lumpur was staged on Thursday (30 July).

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Thomas Bach, IOC President:

"Tomorrow, you will elect the host city for the Olympic Winter Games 2022. This will be the last vote on the candidature procedure which started before the approval of agenda 2020. Even more, I would like to applaud both candidate cities, Almaty and Beijing, for having taken major recommendations into account already. As we saw in your presentations in Lausanne just a couple of weeks ago, your bids now reflect a strong emphasis on sustainability, legacy and feasibility."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"For the teams of the four teams who have been shortlisted, Almaty and Beijing, and Brasov and Lausanne (bidding to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics), as you know, there can only be two victors. And they will be announced by the end of this session of the IOC. But it is an achievement in itself, to have reached this stage. And I wish you all the best of luck. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you again for coming here to Malaysia. I'm sure that the session will be a great success. And I'm pleased to declare the 128th International Olympic Committee session, officially open. Thank you."