GLOBAL ATTENTION
As Beijing is gearing up to prepare for the 2022 Winter Olympics, winter sports industry insiders from around the world are seeking business opportunities in China.
Wu Bin, general manager of Beijing Carving Ski Equipment, told reporters that a lot of international companies have come to China because of the 2022 Olympics.
"People from Japan, New Zealand, the United States, Switzerland and France came here to do training for ski instructors. And many brands in ski and snowboarding come to set up offices or to find distributors in China," Wu said.
Scottish ski instructor Kathrine McKenzie moved last October to Chongli, in Zhangjiakou, where most of the skiing events during Beijing 2022 will be hosted, and is now a ski school director in the city's Thaiwoo Ski Resort.
"With the Olympics coming to this area, there are so many developments happening, and it's really an exciting opportunity in the winter snow sports area. That's why I came to Chongli," said Mckenzie, who has been working in the skiing industry for over 10 years.
China's vision of including 300 million people in winter sports has been noticed by the international society and given the thumps-up by IOC president Thomas Bach.
"We can see the great progress, but what is even more important is we can see the plan raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping to make 300 million people familiar with winter sports obviously already works. We have met many children who love winter sports. We have seen athletes practicing winter sports. We have seen the half-pipe and other slopes which are already hosting international competitions. The progress is really impressive," Bach said during a visit to Beijing 2022 competition zones last Tuesday.
Gilbert Felli, Senior IOC Consultant and former Olympic Games Executive Director, echoed Bach's sentiments. "The 300 million plan's contribution towards the Olympic movement is clear. China is becoming an important winter sports nation."
