Beijing 2022 are targeting early 2017 for the signing of contracts with the first group of partners ©Getty Images

Beijing 2022 hope to sign their first sponsorship contracts for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in early 2017, in a bid to make an early start on generating finances for the event.

insidethegames understands the Organising Committee will launch their official marketing plan for the Games, due to run from February 4 to 20, in January.

Chinese officials will then attempt to pen vital sponsorship agreements with a range of entities "as soon as possible" after the marketing plan is unveiled.

It is not yet known how exactly the sponsors programme for Beijing 2022 will be structured, with more details expected to be released in the New Year.

Companies within the banking, insurance, telecommunications, sportswear, airline and petroleum sectors are seen as the main focus of Beijing 2022.

A presentation was given on sponsorship during the first official session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission visit here today.

It could be perceived as a way to ensure the same problems which affected Pyeongchang 2018 - the next Winter Olympic and Paralympic hosts - do not repeat themselves in the build-up to the event in the Chinese capital in 2022.

A presentation on sponsorship for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics was given during the first IOC Coordination Commission session in the Chinese capital ©Getty Images
A presentation on sponsorship for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics was given during the first IOC Coordination Commission session in the Chinese capital ©Getty Images

Should the first group of partners be confirmed in January as is hoped, it would represent a good start for organisers five-and-a-half years from the start of the Games.

Beijing 2022 claim they have a "balanced" Organising Committee budget of ¥6.5 billion (£730 million/$970 million/€870 million) in projected 2022 value.

Keeping costs down will be a key priority for Beijing 2022, with the IOC looking for host cities to limit spending huge amounts on the Games as part of their Agenda 2020 reform process, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement.

A lack of domestic sponsors was a major concern for Pyeongchang 2018, particularly among IOC officials, but the situation improved under former President Cho Yang-ho’s leadership, thanks to deals with Korean Air, Samsung, Hyundai and SK Group as Tier One partners.

New Pyeongchang 2018 President Lee Hee-beom, who took over from Cho following his shock exit in May, immediately targeted increasing sponsorship revenue as a priority.

Organisers of the first Winter Olympics to ever take place in South Korea have set a target of KRW850 million (£619 million/$767 million/€687million) in sponsorship income.