- Title: OLYMPICS-WINTER/SKI People in Zhangjiakou celebrate 2022 Olympic Games win
- Date: 31st July 2015
- Summary: PEOPLE WAVING FLAGS
- Embargoed: 15th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA2SDR1ZXZ7DN72M9QR1I7BQGKS
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Local people in Zhangjiakou, the co-host candidate city, celebrated on Friday (July 31) after Beijing was chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Beijing becomes the first city to be awarded both the summer and winter Games.
People in Chongli county, one of the main competition venues in Beijing's neighbouring Zhangjiakou city, watched a big screen in a central square to wait for the final announcement on Friday afternoon.
Zhangjiakou, north of Beijing, will be the hub for many skiing events which will take place at resorts in the mountains above the city.
Beijing will feature the indoor wintersports events, mostly using venues built for the 2008 summer Games, and Yanqing, closer to Beijing, will host many of the sliding events. Manufactured snow will be used to cover the slopes as snowfall is minimal.
Local residents burst into cheers, dancing and singing after IOC president Thomas Bach announced that Beijing had won.
"As a Chinese, as a local resident from Chongli county, congratulations on our year's dream come true," said 57-year-old local resident Li Shulin said.
"I'm very excited about Chongli, Zhangjiakou winning the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which the result of the efforts of all of people of this generation. Not only in Beijing, also in our Zhangjiakou. It will popularize the winter sports and it will also boost China's economy and China's influence," said 26-year-old Xue Mingwei.
The Chinese capital beat Kazakhstan's Almaty in a secret ballot of 85 IOC members held at a convention centre in Kuala Lumpur in a decision that drew immediate criticism from human rights activists.
The ballot was conducted twice, first electronically and then by paper after it was discovered the electronic system had malfunctioned.
The IOC said Beijing won a surprisingly close vote, 44-40, with one abstention. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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