The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its 24th briefing session on issues of major concern on June 17, focusing on the preparatory work for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Wan Gang, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, spoke at the meeting.

The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) holds its 24th briefing session on issues of major concern on June 17. Wan Gang, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, spoke at the meeting. [Photo/cppcc.gov.cn]

In his introduction at the meeting, Zhang Jiandong, vice-mayor of Beijing municipality and executive vice-chairman of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, disclosed that construction of the 12 venues for the games has been completed.

Test events for snow and ice sports have been successfully held at the venues and mechanisms for security, transport, catering and logistics have all been established, he added.

In accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic situation, Zhang said, the organizing committee will continue to improve its COVID-19 prevention policies and plans, and encourage and guide athletes to receive vaccines.

Li Yingchuan, deputy head of the General Administration of Sports of China, said in his report that it is hopeful the size of the Chinese delegation will exceed 200 athletes. Chinese athletes have qualified to participate in 96 of the Winter Olympics' 109 sub-events, and are striving to qualify for the remaining 13 sub-events.

He also introduced the administration's efforts to establish a long-standing anti-doping mechanism and popularize winter sports across the country.

As for the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, Wang Meimei, deputy head of the Executive Council of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, said at the meeting that the number of Chinese athletes who have qualified for the Paralympics has grown from less than 50 to 974. These athletes cover all of the six major events of the Games instead of only two events in the past.

Currently, there are 110 Chinese athletes who are preparing for the six major events of the Paralympics, she added.

In addition to hearing these reports, members of the CPPCC National Committee who attended the meeting also discussed how to utilize the legacy of the 2022 Winter Olympics with officials from the aforementioned authorities. They also spoke about how to handle meteorological risks and boost spending on winter sports.