China sees justice in 'historic' Winter Olympics award

IOC president Thomas Bach hailed the award of the 2022 Winter Olympics to Beijing on Friday as a "safe" and "historic" decision while the Chinese capital's mayor indicated that it was putting right a historical injustice.

The International Olympic Committee voted by just 44 votes to 40 for Beijing in a contest with the Kazakhstan city of Almaty. Beijing will become the first city to stage the winter and summer Olympics.

Beijing campaigned with the message that it was a trusted name against the unknown quantity of Almaty, even though the latter's compact venue and promise of "real" snow charmed many sports leaders.

"Because of the great experience of China in delivering great sports events it is really a safe choice," Bach told reporters.

"We know that China will deliver on its promises. We know like many international federations, by experience.

"And historic because with this Beijing and China will be the first city to organise Olympic summer games and Olympic winter games, this within 14 years."
Beijing's mayor Wang Anshun said it had been a "remarkable day" for the Chinese capital and that the Chinese people were "overwhelmed with excitement."

But at the end of the press conference, the mayor made an impromptu statement to explain why after holding the 2008 summer Olympics, the city deserved the 2022 Games.

"The Olympics has a history of over 120 years and in that 120 years, our country with a quarter of the world's population has hosted only one edition of the Olympics.

"The success of our bid means that we will be hosting a second edition in 2022, only the second time in more than 120 years," said Wang.

"For a country of 1.3 billion people it is highly necessary, significant and important for us to host an Olympic Winter Games."

In Olympic history, "you will see that there are some countries which have staged numerous summer or winter Games," he added without naming names. The United States and Europe have hosted both however.

Communist China was first invited to the IOC in 1954, but withdrew again four years later. It only formally joined in 1979 after Taiwan's official name was changed from Republic of China.

The IOC decision means that the Olympics will be in Asia for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeonchang, South Korea, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and now in Beijing.
The Olympics have traditionally rotated between continents as part of an informal deal. But the IOC president said the Olympics had been "very much eurocentred."

"Now with the real globalisation of the world and the growing importance of Asia, not only in sport but in all areas of life, I think it is more or less normal that we have more Olympic Games in Asia and also in other continents."

Rio will hold South America's first Olympics next year.

"This is an expression of the globalisation of the world and it shows also the universal approach of the Olympic movement," Bach said.
Source: AFP