Economics of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022
CHINESE President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics (BWO) and declared the games open at the National Stadium yesterday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, Russian President Putin and Kazakhstan President Tokayev also attended the opening ceremony and showed solidarity with China and its sports diplomacy.
It was indeed moral victory of China and its policy makers over exaggerated hue and cry of the West mass media about so-called wild spread of virus in China and exploitation of natural resources for BWO.
It was also political and diplomatic success of China and its visionary leader Xi who succeeded to hold BWO despite boycott of various countries including the US, Canada, UK etc.
President Xi delivered a video address to the opening ceremony of the 139th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session, extending a warm welcome to IOC President Thomas Bach and other IOC members who have gathered in Beijing, the first city in the world to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games.
While addressing the opening ceremony President Xi termed pandemic as a new period of turbulence and transformation with multiple challenges.
He thanked the IOC for its active contribution to the development of sports in China over the past years and for its strong support and guidance for China’s bid and preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
President Xi showcased tremendous socio-economic development of China by saying that from “One World, One Dream” in 2008 to “Together for a Shared Future” in 2022, China has taken an active part in the Olympic Movement and consistently championed the Olympic spirit.
China is committed to pursuing the Olympic ideal with concrete actions.President Xi promised to deliver to world “streamlined, safe and splendid” Games, while trying to realize “Faster, Higher, Stronger Together”.
The Beijing Winter Olympic Games (BWOGs) were held at a special time, as the world faces numerous interlinked changes and challenges because of deadly pandemic in the world.
However, the theme of the BWOGs, “Together for a Shared Future” vividly reflects that China has firm belief in universal cooperation, togetherness, shared prosperity, community development, equal & equitable world, dialogue, diplomacy and engagement which have further demonstrated its holistic spirits towards humanity, peace and harmony.
Chinese athletes like the first Chinese Winter Olympic Games medal winner Ye Qiaobo, first Chinese Winter Olympic Games gold winner Yang Yang, and Wang Meng, the Chinese speed skater who won three gold medals in 2010 in Vancouver, also participated in opening ceremony and are among leading candidates.
Interestingly, a new and innovative method was used to ignite the cauldron that “has not appeared in the more than 100-year history of the modern Olympic Games.
It clearly reflected the concept of low carbon environmental protection.The idea was supported by the Organizing Committee of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the IOC.
In contrast to the four-hour-long ceremony with 15,000 performers used in the 2008, the opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics was relied on high technology instead of the previous “huge crowd” strategy and lasted less than 100 minutes and feature about 3,000 performers.
Interestingly, the BWOGs had achieved 98 percent of its sustainable development commitments as of September 30, 2021, with carbon emissions during the Games set to be fully neutralized, debunking the Western media’s stepped-up hype over the environmental costs of the event and the alleged difficulty in verifying commitments.
The BWOGs not only carries special weight in showcasing China’s green pledges, as international society has prioritized carbon peaking and neutrality as development goals, but would lead to greener sports events.
According to the report, titled “Sustainable Development (Pre-competition),” China has delivered significant results on its sustainable development commitment, including all stadiums reaching green architecture standards, and the average PM2.5 concentration in Beijing in 2022 will be 45 percent lower than in 2012.
The report, outlined China’s sustainable commitments, its plans are being carried out, and the latest developments in areas including ecological protection, regional development and social progress.
“The BWO has strictly carried out low-carbon management.The four ice stadiums for the Games are using new types of carbon dioxide refrigerants, and all stadiums will run entirely on green electricity.
It is estimated that 400 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity will be consumed across Olympic venues in Beijing.
That is equivalent to cutting burning 128,000 tons of standard coal and reducing emissions of 320,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
China also rolls out a low-carbon transportation system, under which energy-efficient and clean-energy vehicles account for more than 80 percent of the vehicles used during the Games.
Using carbon dioxide to make ice for the entire process, it produces almost zero carbon emissions, and improves energy efficiency by more than 20 percent compared with conventional ice-making systems, the Global Times previously learned from the venue staffer.
It seems that Beijing has organized and coordinated the whole process to guarantee a timely delivery of its green goals, a model that could serve as a benchmark for other hosts of sports galas in the post-Olympic era.
It has a long-term strategic sustainable plan that detailed 119 measures on three fronts: a positive impact on environment, new regional development and making life better.
While some Western critics cast doubt over a system for artificial snow, which they touted as a waste of water resources, officials stressed that all international games use man-made snow to ensure snow quality and the actual use of water for generating snow is limited.
Contrarily, the water consumption for making snow represents 1.6 percent of local water consumption in Yanqing district, and in Zhangjiakou’s Chongli district, the ratio is 9.8 percent,” and such consumption would not affect regional water safety or the environment.
To conclude, Beijing Winter Olympics has generated 600,000 new jobs in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region in sports, culture and tourism sectors.
Stocks of digital Yuan, hydrogen energy, 5G, ice and snow industry, and other associated subsectors have been favoured by the capital markets.
It would further enhance Beijing GDP up to 5 percent till 2025.It would further promote footwear and ice sport and clothing up to 598.9 billion yuan till 2025 and along with 15 billion yuna in ski equipment in 2022.
The Chinese government invested $1.51 billion in hardware equipment, food & beverage and other areas.About 3000 hydrogen fuelled buses have been deployed in the competition zones which will reduce 35400 tons of CO2 which is a significant achievement.
Moreover, in the first time in the history of Olympics it has been completely fuelled with green energy and total Artificial Intelligence operated in all zones.
Humanity is suffering from deadly pandemic and the so-called civilized world of the West is heavily indulged in horrendous discrimination even in the easy and smooth supply of vaccines, especially to developing countries.
Chinese global drive of vaccine is the hope of the last resort and successful inauguration of BWO is the sign of hope, unity and equal world.
—The writer is Director, Geopolitics/Economics, Regional Expert, China, CPEC & BRI, Member Board of Experts. The Centre for South Asia and International Studies, Islamabad.
