MCLC: Beijing-Zhangjiakou bid for winter Olympics

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Beijing-Zhangjiakou bid for winter Olympics
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Source: ABC News (11/5/13):
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/beijing-zhangjiakou-bid-2022-winter-
olympics-20785749

Beijing, Zhangjiakou Bid for 2022 Winter Olympics

BEIJING November 5, 2013 (AP)

Beijing and the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou are bidding for the
2022 Winter Olympics.

The Chinese Olympic Committee sent a formal nomination letter to the
International Olympic Committee on Sunday and the bid is supported by the
Chinese government, China's official news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday.

"The China Olympic Committee believes that Beijing and Zhangjiakou have
the natural conditions and infrastructure to successfully host the Winter
Olympics," the committee said in a statement.

"The bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics will further improve the
development of the Chinese Olympic cause, display the comprehensive power
of China and push forward the coordinated development of the economies of
the two cities," it said.

Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. Under the 2022 bid plans, Beijing
would hold the ice events.

Zhangjiakou, a city surrounded by mountains with ski resorts 100 miles
northwest of Beijing in the neighboring province of Hebei, would host the
snow events. There are many hotels being built in the valley towns serving
the ski resorts.

A high speed train line linking the two cities is scheduled to open next
year, with a journey time between the two of 40 minutes.

Nov. 14 is the deadline for submission of bids to the IOC.

China has bid previously for the Winter Olympics. The northeast city of
Harbin failed to make the short list of finalists in the race for the 2010
Winter Games, which went to Vancouver.

Almaty, Kazakhstan, has already officially lodged a 2022 bid. Other
potential contenders include Oslo, Norway; Munich; Lviv, Ukraine; and a
joint bid from Poland and Slovakia. Barcelona has decided not to bid.

The IOC will select the 2022 host city in 2015.

The chances of Asia getting the games in 2022 would seem remote, as
Pyeongchang, South Korea, will host the 2018 Winter Games and Tokyo will
stage the 2020 Summer Olympics.