Beijing 2008 and Beijing 2022 Boost The Development of Sport in China

• 08.09.2019, 12:24
•  Asia,  World,  No-politics

11 years after the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 sports have developed much in China. And now after the Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022 China’s key objective is to engage more than 300 million people in winter sports. The Beijing Olympic Development Association which was founded in 2009 is engaged in the promotion of Olympic values and coordinates the financial resources of the Games for the development of sports and culture.

Every year on August 8, the anniversary of the start of the Olympic Games, the organization organizes a sports and culture festival at the Olympic Park featuring simultaneously 40 events and giving an opportunity to the visitors to try themselves in summer and winter sports. In 2018 more than 100,000 people visited the festival over the week.

As China has transitioned from an Olympic Summer Games host to an Olympic Winter Games host, so participation levels in winter sports have increased. China’s winter sports industry grew to be worth USD 53.6 billion in 2018, up from USD 46.2 billion the year before. More than 742 skiing resorts and 596 ice rinks have been opened in the country and in 2018-19 the number of people engaging in winter sports became 8,15 million.

Of the 16 new venues built for Beijing 2008, 15 are in use today. In particular, “the Bird’s Nest” National Stadium hosted the 2015 Athletics World Championships and will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for Beijing 2022. It is also transformed into a winter wonderland theme park for two months every year attracting more than 2.1 million people.
Four-time Olympic table tennis champion Deng Yaping fully understands the positive impact of the 2008 Summer Games in her nation.

“We had a wonderful Olympics,”- said Deng, who in 2003 was voted Chinese Athlete of the Century. “The Olympic spirit encourages young people to engage in sports. People must love sports and the Olympic Games.” Deng said.