On February 11, 2022, the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (Beijing 2022) released Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 - Legacy Case Studies (2022) in both Chinese and English.
Skiers enjoy freshly fallen snow in Zhangjiakou
Among the numerous achievements detailed in the case studies, legacy highlights include the 346 million Chinese people who have taken part in winter sports since 2015, a ski team created by local farmers in Yanqing, a 317% growth in standard ice rinks in China since 2015, and the annual National Public Ice and Snow Season, the largest public winter sports event in China. Overall, economic growth in all three competition zones, as well as poverty reduction and job creation in
Zhangjiakou and Yanqing, will continue to have positive effects long after the close of the Games.
“The winter sports industry has grown significantly and we have introduced a number of policies to support the Winter Games,” said Li Sen, Director-General of the General Planning Department of Beijing 2022. “Such policies will not end at the close of the Beijing 2022 Games. These policies will still be there.”
The 45 legacy case studies provide examples of actions and initiatives which contributed to winter sports popularisation and development in China over the past seven years. They tell stories of ordinary people in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou who have benefitted from the extraordinary opportunities created by the Games to try a new sport, find a new career in the winter sport industry, develop a new business in the local tourism sector, participate in cultural exchanges between China and other countries or raise their families above the poverty line.
The Bird’s Nest, built for the Beijing 2008 Games, is also a Beijing 2022 Games venue
They also illustrate how Beijing 2022 has worked closely with various stakeholders, including local, provincial and national governments and domestic and international industries to create a wealth of legacies across seven major themes, namely sports, economy, society, culture, environment, cities and regional development. These legacies will not only benefit the general public in the long run, but also accelerate the coordinated development of the city and region.
Children participate in a youth ice hockey training activity
For the farmers in Yanqing who created a ski team, the case study details their passion for skiing and their enthusiasm to support the Olympic Winter Games, their transition from farmers to skiing coaches, how it has completely changed their lives, and their growth into pioneers and roles models for fellow farmers in Yanqing.
A second case explains how ice hockey has become one of the most popular youth ice and snow sports in Beijing after concerted efforts to familiarize locals with the sport and increase opportunities for youth engagement, and follows the rapid growth of the Beijing Youth Ice Hockey League.
“When we look at the training of talents, we focus on young people. We have organized activities to introduce winter sports in schools. Young people are the future,” Li Sen said. “We plan to have over 5,000 schools which feature winter sports by 2025. On the other hand, we plan to improve winter sports facilities in China. A lot of talents have been built up through the Winter Games. We have trained many coaches for young people to learn winter sports. That number in Beijing is more than 23,000, and we also have a lot in Hebei Province.”
A third case explores the seven editions of the National Public Ice and Snow Season (“Ice and Snow Season”), which has now become the largest public winter sports event in China. The Season’s activities encourage the widest public engagement possible, regardless of region, age or ability.
“All of these efforts provide very strong support for the future development of winter sports, including the manufacturing of winter sports equipment and facilities,” Li Sen said. “Like [International Olympic Committee] President Bach said, the Beijing Olympic Winter Games will ‘open a new era for winter sports globally.’”
These 45 case studies, which demonstrate the lasting impact of Beijing 2022’s legacy from industry and economy to society and families, provide a successful roadmap to achieving winter sports engagement, prosperity and sustainable growth for all.
Source: Beijing 2022