Russian and Chinese media held a press conference on the occasion of the XXIV Winter Olympics

On December 7 at 10 am Moscow time, the Chinese Embassy in Russia held a special online press conference, in which the Ambassador of China to Russia Zhang Hanhui, Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov, Head of the ROC Staff Rodion Plitukhin, a designated person from the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics Cai Qi, as well as the representative of a Russian athlete took part.

The XXIV Winter Olympics will be held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing China, and the Winter Paralympics will be held from 4 to 13 March. Beijing will be the first city to host both, Summer and Winter Olympics.

According to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, the development of the Olympic business is reflected not only in the number of gold medals, but also in a deep understanding of the practical embodiment of the Olympic spirit: “If national sport flourishes, then physical culture also flourishes. If the physical culture is at the proper level, then the state is also strengthened ”.

“Since China won its first Olympic gold 37 years ago, China has thrived on its robust athletic activity and outstanding performance in the Olympics. Let me express my hopes that the 2022 Winter Olympics will demonstrate courage and sincerity and will prompt China and the rest of the world to unite in order to move forward together.”

He added: "The Chinese Embassy in Russia will start a 'Worldwide View of the Winter Olympics' column and other special columns on various news and media platforms to educate people in China and Russia about the Winter Olympics better."

In recent years, cooperation between China and Russia in the field of sports has been developing dynamically and yielding great results. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also take part in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, which to the full extent demonstrates how strong the friendship between the heads of the two states is, and also embodies the Chinese-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction entering a new era.

Rodion Plitukhin, Head of the ROC Staff, stated: “The main goal for the entire Olympic community is to ensure that athletes from all over the world can make their biggest dreams come true, and the spectators, even if not always in the stands, but at the monitor screens, can root for their idols and enjoy the uncompromising but fair competitions of the best athletes on Earth.”

"So far, no one from our representatives has personally managed to visit the capital of the 2022 Olympics, but according to the feedback from those who traveled there and participated in test competitions and got to see the places – the Olympic clusters – the degree of China’s readiness is extremely high!"

“There are no complaints about accommodation facilities and competitions. Therefore, we can confidently note that the games must be held at a high organizational level. "

“As for Russian athletes, the preparation is going in accordance with the plan, and it is assumed that our delegation will include 459 people, including 216 athletes in all sports that comprised the program of the Olympic Games.”

He stressed that to date, Russian curling, cross-country skiing, figure skating, and ice hockey men's and women's national teams have passed the Olympic selection. And the approval of the team's roster is scheduled for January 20, 2022. Also, the construction of all 12 facilities for the Winter Olympics in Beijing has now been completed. They are certified by the IOC and are fully qualified to run the competition successfully.