Three elements will make up the sporting and cultural programme for Beijing 2022 as the bid team looks to further spread Olympic values and encourage three hundred million people living in the world's most populous nation to participate in winter sports.

They are entitled: "Three Entrances", "Six Events" and "15 Highlights", it has been explained.

In the long run, the authorities will also implement the strategy entitled "Developing Ice Sports from China's North to South and West", promoting a paralleled and balanced development of mass high-performance winter sport.

The six event programme began with the Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Cup of China in Shanghai on November 7 to 9 before moving to Beijing for the Air and Style snowboard contest on December 5 and 6.

These were then followed by the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Shanghai on December 12 to 14 and the Freestyle Skiing World Cup opener in Beijing on 20 to 21.

Next on the calendar will be the World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai from March 23 to 29, before ending on the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship Division I Group B in Beijing in April.

Beijing is looking to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games ©Getty Images



Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic, is seeking to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games.

Indoor events will be held within the city, while skiing and other outdoor sports will be based in suburban Yanqing and in Zhangjikou in the neighbouring Hebei province.

Originally considered a long-shot, Beijing is now in a two-city race to host the games with Almaty, Kazakhstan, following the withdrawal of Stockholm, Kraków, Lviv and Oslo earlier this year. 

During a briefing at Beijing's MasterCard Arena, Zhao Yinggang, deputy secretary general and Head of the Sports Department of the Beijing 2022 Bid Committee, said that promoting the development of winter sports in China and encouraging more people to practice winter sports is an important part of the Beijing 2022 Bid.

Chinese authorities, including the Bid Committee and the General Administration of Sport, have confirmed a working plan to bring this goal to life, in addition to existing middle and long-term winter sport programmes that all aim to inspire more people to participate in winter sports.

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