CRI听力:IOC Inspection on Beijing's 2022 Winter Games Bid Starts

IOC Inspection on Beijing's 2022 Winter Games Bid Starts 

The IOC Evaluation team is due to inspect a number of areas in and around Beijing, including Yanqing District in the northwest of the city.

The IOC team is also due to travel to Zhangjiakou in Hebei.

The commission is tasked with conducting on-site evaluations of the proposed venues.

They'll also be pouring over the detailed plans of the bid itself.

One of the major issues the evaluation committee is sure to quiz the Beijing Games' organizers is the capital area's infamous air pollution.

Wang Hui with the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee says this is something they're keenly aware of.

"The measures we are adopting are very strict. We've allocated 760-billion yuan to fight the air pollution. But we're not doing it solely for the Winter Olympics. We're also putting the plans in-place to allow everyone living in the city to breathe the good air they have been longing for."

Beijing's bid for the Winter Olympics is attracting a lot of support within China.

Olympic champion speed skater Yang Yang says she believes hosting the Winter Games in China will have huge benefits for winter sports.

"I hope that our bid for the Winter Olympics can be a success. Bidding for the Winter Olympics can promote winter sports. I believe if winter sports are popularized, I think the improvement of our winter sports will be just around the corner. Making more children enjoy and participate in winter sports will bring further development to China's winter sports program."

The IOC Evaluation Commission's time in Beijing will finish with a report.

This report will be the main basis for the IOC when it comes to who is going to host the Games.

The report itself is going to be kept confidential until June.

This is when the IOC will give its formal feedback to the candidate cities.

Beijing's bid is up against only the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan.

For CRI, I am Sophie Williams.