The third meeting of the International Olympic Commission (IOC) for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 was held in the Chinese capital on Sept. 17.

Gou Zhongwen, China's sports minister, president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, and executive president of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee (Beijing 2022); Xu Qin, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Hebei Provincial Committee, governor of Hebei province, and executive president of the Beijing 2022; and Zhang Haidi, chairperson of China Disabled Persons' Federation and executive president of the Beijing 2022, attended the opening ceremony of the two-day meeting. Juan Antonio Samaranch, vice president of the IOC and chairman of the coordination commission, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Gou welcomed the visiting experts of the coordination commission at the event. He said the preparation work for the games has seen smooth progress. The construction of the new venues such as the National Speed Skating Oval, the National Alpine Skiing Center, and the biathlon center are well under way. The 109 competition events have been finalized, and so have the strategy and overall plan for the test events.

The mass participation plan is being implemented, the emblems for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics have been released, and plans for the post-games legacy have finished formulation, Gou said. Other progresses include the establishment of the sustainable management system, sound operation of the sustainable procurement, and the release and implementation of the accessibility guideline and related work. Beijing has also completed the 2018 Winter Olympics training and a summary meeting with the support of the IOC, Gou said.

Beijing will "deliver a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Beijing 2022 Games, which are green, inclusive, open and clean," Gou said.

Gou pledged that Beijing will work closely with the IOC and other international sports organizations, and implement the Olympic Agenda 2020 and other guidelines to prepare for the games. He also called for advice from the coordination commission.

Samaranch gave high praises to Beijing's preparation for the games. "At this stage, you have done more than could be expected," he said. "We feel very confident of what is going on." He encouraged Beijing to follow the reform proposals highlighted in the Olympic Agenda 2020 and other guidelines to host the most successful and intelligent games with an emphasis on legacy.

Officials from the Beijing organizing committee briefed the coordination commission on the management of the organizing committee, the venue and infrastructure, publicity work, and mass involvement, which has received praises and advice from the coordination commission.

The coordination commission visited on Monday afternoon the Olympic venues including the new Big Air Shougang, the National Speed Skating Oval, the Olympic Tower, the National Aquatics Center, and the Olympic village, and talked to Chinese athletes at the National Aquatics Center.

Officials from the Beijing organizing committee, including Zhang Jiandong, Yang Shu'an, Xu Jianpei, Zhou Changkui and Yu Zaiqing, attended Monday's opening ceremony. Han Zirong, secretary general of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, also attended the meeting.

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