IOC President completes a week-long successful China trip after visiting Olympic Winter Games 2022 venues and seeing school in Sichuan province helped by the IOC following the 2008 earthquake.
In Sichuan Province he visited a school that the IOC had contributed to following the earthquake which struck just ahead of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008.
After the visit to Sichuan, the President went on to the site of the winter sports venues for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, in Hebei Province. There he saw how the Games are acting as a catalyst for sustainable development plans for the region which were already underway before Beijing’s election as host city.
'They seemed extremely happy with what has happened. The region is already developing as a tourist area but with the Olympic Games they told me they would benefit even more. They thanked us for the IOC's confidence in them and their region to deliver the Games,' he added.
In both Sichuan and Hebei provinces the IOC President was able to meet the local political authorities. In Sichuan he was able to discuss the IOC's contribution to the school and education projects. In Hebei they discussed the next steps for the development of the region for organizing the Olympic Winter Games. In Hebei the local authorities confirmed that the Province would deliver on all its promises.
The IOC President left the sites 'full of confidence' both in the success of the Games and in the legacy they will leave to the region and its people and to China.
During the trip, the President was accompanied by IOC Vice-President Zaiqing Yu and the President of the NOC of China, Liu Peng.
Taken from Olympic.org