An exhibition featuring photographs of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 kicks off at the China World Art Museum on October 27, 2021. Over 20 precious pictures of the Games have traveled from Athens to Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/Global Times

With the start of the 100-day countdown to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Olympic officials said that all of the preparations for the games have been completed in terms of epidemic prevention, venues and facilities, transportation and environmental protection. Several European countries have expressed their support and best wishes for Beijing's hosting of the event.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games announced on Wednesday that the Olympic village will officially open on January 27, 2022, and the torch relay will begin on February 2 in China.   

At a press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office, Zhang Jiandong, an executive vice president of the organizing committee, said that all the 12 competition venues for the games have been completed and meet the requirements.

From February to April this year, China held a series of winter sports events, and tested various aspects of the venues' operations. China is also expected to hold 10 international testing events during the fourth quarter, in accordance with the Winter Olympic standards. About 2,000 foreign athletes and delegation members will come to China under the closed-loop management system.  

A reporter learned that the organizing committee has formed a working group for international epidemic control, with the WHO and International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as a group to cope with local surges, together with China's National Health Commission, Beijing Municipality and Hebei Province.   

When asked whether the measures would be similar to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which recorded more than 510 COVID-19 infections of Olympic-related personnel, Zhang suggested that Beijing's measures will be stricter. Those who do not comply with the guidelines may face serious consequences such as warnings, temporary or permanent disqualification for athletes, and cancellation of registration for other participants, he said. 

The Beijing organizers on Monday unveiled the first edition of the official guidebook concerning epidemic prevention for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which stipulated the principles of closed-loop management and site-to-site transportation in a "biosecure bubble." 

Closed-loop management means separation from the public, said Zhang, noting that within the "biosecure bubble" of venues and Olympic villages, participants are relatively free to move around, but they must take designated vehicles.

Within the bubble, there will be restaurants, cafes and gyms, as well as some recreational facilities for people to have a good experience, Zhang said. 

Zhang also said that during the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, ecological restoration has been completed in Yanqing district and Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, green power grid coverage will be achieved in all venues. New carbon dioxide refrigerants will be used in four venues, including the National Speed Skating Stadium, and carbon emissions from The Beijing Winter Olympic Games will be neutralized.  

On October 27, Beijing Winter Olympic Games organizing committee unveils the staff outfits designed by Anta Sports. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Winter Games organizing committee

The Global Times learned that the organizing committee has established a cooperation mechanism with national meteorological departments to closely monitor weather such as strong winds, cold waves and haze, release meteorological information on extreme weather in a timely manner, and respond to emergencies.  

Greek Ambassador to China Georgios Iliopoulos told the Global Times on Wednesday that he "wholeheartedly" wishes that the Beijing Winter Olympic Games will be a great success, and he believes that China and the organizing committee are prepared to host them despite the impact of COVID-19.

"I do hope that the light of the flame from Ancient Olympia will bring to all, athletes and spectators alike, a message of hope, and most importantly a message of resilience and strength, and an understanding that fairness and openness are necessary to overcome the dire consequences of this pandemic and prevent another in the future," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron told Chinese President Xi Jinping that France supports China in successfully hosting the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, when the two held a phone conversation on Tuesday. Xi told Macron that the two countries should support each other to successfully hold the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games and the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games.

"With all these great efforts and outstanding preparation we can already see now, we can really say 'Together for a shared future', and this shared future will be a bright one for winter sports worldwide," Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, said in a congratulation video that was broadcast by China Central Television on Tuesday.

"The Winter Olympic Games transcends sports, and the truly peaceful political figures of the world, who wish to promote the exchange and understanding of civilizations, will give their blessing to such a mega event. The Games cannot be separated by ideology," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In the past few months, groundless accusations and calls to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics have been made by some Western politicians.

"Those politicians who politicize sports events and demonize China are not mainstream in the international community… They are extreme, destructive and cannot be accepted by the vast majority of countries and people in the world," Li said. 

The blessings from various countries also reflect their recognition of China's hosting preparations and its communication with other countries, Li said.