With less than one month to go final touches are being made on the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games which will take place from February to March.

Beijing is the first city to ever host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. It won the bid to host the 105 medal Winter Olympics in 2015. The winter games include Alpine Skiing, biathlon, bobsledding, cross country skiing, snowboarding and ice hockey among others. Construction of all competition venues is complete and publicity, promotion and cultural activities are going on well. Hotels,lodges, transportation and other accommodation areas are all ready to host athletes and their teams from around the world.

Despite the plans by some Western countries not to send any diplomatic or official representation to the games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the games will unite the world through peaceful and fair competition among participants from around the world. Early last year, Bach said the IOC strictly adheres to the Olympic Charter and opposes any politicization of the games. The IOC stands on three core values of excellence, friendship and respect. The move by countries in the West and in Europe to not send their government officials has backfired since the host country China is not the one that extends invitations for the games. Not even the IOC makes these invitations- the Olympic Committees of specific countries do so. This  selfish political grandstanding move to boycott the games shows these  countries’ disloyalty against their own committees and their people.

With collaborations and support from the United Nations Development System and other sponsors, there have been no hurdles. The UN Development Programme will participate in an innovative project to promote sustainable urban development and ensure the success of the games. The United Nations said solidarity and friendship among nations is extremely important in a world that has been wrecked by the Covid 19 pandemic. Covid- 19 saw the cancellation of most sporting activities from 2019- 2021.The Chinese government under the leadership of President Xi Jinping have attached great importance to the preparation of the games and are working with the IOC to make sure athletes participating in the games are vaccinated and protected against the Covid -19 pandemic. A “One day of Olympic Winter Games” comprehensive drill was conducted last year to test the command pandemic control and emergency support capabilities in Games time operations.

China has been known to have zero tolerance for the spread of the Covid- 19 pandemic. In light of this, the first edition of the games Playbook which highlights principles of simplifying the games, vaccination, prevention and control was released in October last year. The second edition was released in December  2021 and it contains information such as the closed loop management system which allows only fully vaccinated personnel to enter China without a compulsory 21 day quarantine. The closed loop system also known as a bubble will see thousands of athletes, coaches, team officials, Olympic staff members, contractors, volunteers and journalists confined for the duration of the Games. The bubble will include competition sites, hotels and other lodgings for athletes media and a transportation network. There is also information on health monitoring and isolation for athletes, officials and all other participants to help them in their travel plans to and from China. Athletes are required to wear masks and avoid crowded areas and all participants will be tested daily for the Corona virus during the games, whether they are vaccinated or not. IOC President Bach said the playbooks should not be viewed as just rule books, but rather as a way of life. The World Health Organization has praised the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee for ensuring the safety of athletes and other essential workers in light of the new Covid-19 variant- Omicron.

Recently, the first batch of volunteers made up of 137 students from Beijing Science and Technology University who will be volunteering at the games were in training at the Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing.

It is no secret that China is a world leader in terms of digital innovations and technological advancement and it plans for the event to be a smart sports gathering through cutting edge technology. During the games, a 5G enabled driverless minibus which was developed by China Unicorn –(the official telecommunications service provider for the Olympics) will be  operating as a retail store and buyers can make purchases by simply pushing a virtual button or placing orders on their smart phones. Those in attendance at the Olympics will also be able to use a digital renminbi to purchase items and also make use of gloves embedded with a digital renminbi wallet module to buy products from vending machines. China Unicorn has also developed digital RMB smart watches, smart bracelets and smart electronic certificates which are well suited for payment in cases like winter sports and public transportation like the high speed trains which connect cities in China.

To officially give the world an update, The Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee held an online press conference on the overall preparation progress of the Games on the 11th of January hosted by the committee’s spokesperson.

With all these technological and strict health and safety measures in place, China is on its way to hosting fantastic Winter Olympics which will bring development, rebuild economies and further strengthen friendships between countries through the power of sport.