Beijing 2022 claims snowmaking will be completed by mid-January ©Getty Images

Beijing 2022 says snowmaking for Winter Olympic Alpine skiing events has begun and will be completed by mid-January, prior to the start of the Games.

The Yanqing cluster is set to be the home of Alpine skiing competition at the Games, while biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and freestyle skiing events are due to be among the snow sports in Zhangjiakou.

The International Olympic Committee’s Evaluation Commission had warned before Beijing was awarded the Games that the Zhangjiakou and Yanqing zones have "minimal annual snowfall" and the Games would rely completely on artificial snow.

Beijing 2022 has long insisted the Games will not impact local people, despite an expectation that the majority of water would be drawn from established reservoirs.

"The man-made snow will not affect the local water usage," Beijing 2022 spokesperson Zhao Weidong told the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Beijing 2022 says water required for snowmaking at the Yanqing zone will account for 1.6 per cent of the amount used in the local area.

The percentage will increase for the Zhangjiakou competition zone, with demand expected to be around 9.8 per cent of the total consumption in the Chongli district during the Games.

Three reservoirs with a total maximum water storage of 160,000 cubic metres are reportedly in place for the Games, which will be able to collect snow-melt and rainwater in the Yanqing zone, which can then be used in snowmaking.

Organisers claim this will ensure an internal recycling of water resources.

Artificial snow will be crucial to the Alpine skiing venue in Yanqing ©Getty Images
Artificial snow will be crucial to the Alpine skiing venue in Yanqing ©Getty Images

"For Alpine skiing, natural snowfall is incapable of providing sufficient competition snow," said Lyu Hongyou, an operations manager at Yanqing.

"Even if the natural snow depth reaches three metres, it can only be compressed into a snow layer of 30 centimetres to 40cm in depth, still far off the requirement for Olympic tracks, which is also one of the reasons why man-made snow has been widely used in snow sports in Winter Olympics worldwide."

Beijing 2022 says around 90 per cent of snow used at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Alpine skiing venue was artificial.

Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 also utilised snowmaking facilities, organisers added.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place from February 4 to 20.

The Paralympic Games will follow from March 4 to 13.