It is proposed that the ski jump at the Nordic Centre will be built here to the east of Zhangjiakou, the city around 190 kilometres to the north-west of the Chinese capital.

The presence of the Great Wall, China's most famous cultural offering and one of the best known tourist attractions in the world, brings added glamour, with a section of the Wall in front of the venue to be restored in time for the Games.

The nearby biathlon and cross country venues will come even closer to the Wall, it has been revealed.

During the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008 the cycling road races finished along the Great Wall. 

The Nordic Centre is one of the two venues proposed in the Zhangjiakou cluster, along with the Genting Snow Park in which snowboard and freestyle skiing events would take place, where only renovation work is required before the Games, it is claimed. 

The pledge from Beijing 2022 ensures that ski jumping will enjoy a high-profile whichever of the two bidding cities is awarded the Games. 

Almaty's Sunkar Jumping Hills, an existing venue built for the 2011 Asian Winter Games, is one of the most attractive aspects of the Kazakh bid.

That venue has five jumps, compared to the two proposed by Beijing 2022. 

There are fears over how much snow there will be in the Genting Snow Park, wherefreestyle skiing and snowboard events would take place during the 2022 Olympics and Paraympics ©Beijing 2022







There remain several question marks over many of the venues proposed by Beijing 2022, including a clear lack of snow in March, the month the Paralympic Games would take place.

Concerns also exist over the proposed cost of the venues.

The bid's budget is relatively low but both the biathlon and ski jumping centres and the speed skating venue in Beijing are not included as they will be constructed regardless of the bid being successful, it is claimed. 

The cost of a high-speed railway and highway upgrade linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou has also not also been revealed.

But, the benefit of hosting an Olympic Games in the region here, close to Zhuolu County in which the first Chinese civilisation was thought to have originated over 4,000 years ago, is clear, as the region remains relatively low profile and under-developed.

The high-speed railway, which it is claimed will reduce distances from over three hours by car to around 50 minutes by train, should help.

It is also hoped that the venue will become a hub of Asian winter sport, with the target set of attracting up to 1.5 million visitors each year.

Beijing's bid has also been boosted by backing from former England football captain David Beckham, a popular figure in Asia, who featured in the London 2012 Handover segment during the Closing Ceremony of Beijing 2008.

"If any country try to get an Olympic Games, it means their passion about hosting something very special and also really wants the world to take notice in the sport," Beckham, an ambassador for the Chinese Super League, told Chinese news agency Xinhua.

"If China is doing that for 2022, I wish them good luck, something would be incredible, because I know how passionate the people are in this country for life and for sport."

Former England and Manchester United football David Beckham, pictured in China in 2013, has backed Beijing's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics ©Getty Images



During their visit today the IOC Evaluation Commission, which inspected Almaty last month, travelled to both the mountain venues here before returning to Beijing this evening.

They then visited the National Convention Centre, which successfully hosted the International Broadcast Centre in 2008 and would be the Main Press Centre this time around.

The Panel, led by Russia's Alexander Zhukov, will remain in Beijing tomorrow ahead of the visit closing on Saturday (March 28).

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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