IOC president Bach confident of safe, secure Beijing 2022

BEIJING - International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach expressed confidence in a successful Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in his New Year message published on the IOC official website on Friday.

"We are looking forward to successful Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and we have great confidence, built on our experience, that we will stage safe and secure Olympic Winter Games for everybody," Bach said.

The IOC chief highlighted Beijing as the first city ever to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games and acknowledged China's effort to engage 300 million people in winter sports.

"These Winter Games will open a new era for winter sports globally," read the message.

Bach also reviewed the year 2021 where the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were staged with success, engaging three billion unique viewers worldwide.

Looking into the upcoming year, Bach underlined the IOC's targets to push forward Olympic Agenda 2020+5 reforms, strengthen the Olympic Refugee Foundation and promote digitalization.

"2022 will be a great opportunity for our Olympic community: a great opportunity to strengthen the role of sport in society and to contribute to build a better post-pandemic world. 2022 will be our chance to live our new Olympic motto: to go faster, to aim higher, to become stronger by standing together - in solidarity," concluded Bach.