Although the International Olympic Committee will not announce the final list of bidders for the 2022 Winter Olympics until next July, it is likely that only Beijing and Almaty will remain as candidate cities when the vote takes place. The race for the 2022 Winter Olympics host city was once highly competitive. However, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Poland have successively withdrawn their bids, and Norway and Ukraine may also give up the opportunity due to domestic political factors.
Given the current situation, Beijing has become the front-runner among the 2022 Winter Olympics bidders, especially when compared to Almaty, which has a population of only 1.4 million and has never hosted an event of Olympic scale. Beijing’s advantage is self-evident, having successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.
If Beijing wins the bid, one of the most pressing concerns will be how the competition venues are arranged and allocated, particularly for alpine skiing—a sport with extremely high standards for ski slopes.
At present, the Beijing 2022 Bid Committee’s preferred plan for the alpine skiing venue involves constructing the facility between Haituo Mountain in Yanqing and Xidakezhuang Village. The main advantage of this plan is the significant elevation drop of 1,300 meters and the complex, varied terrain, which is highly favorable for events such as downhill skiing and super-G, allowing for clear differentiation among athletes' skill levels. Satellite images clearly show that Haituo Mountain has an elevation of 2,198 meters, while Xidakezhuang Village sits at 895 meters. The slope features many turns along the descent, closely meeting the requirements of the Winter Olympics alpine skiing competition.
Of course, the disadvantages are also evident: there is less natural snowfall, sparse vegetation on sunny slopes, and limited visual appeal. Most importantly, although Haituo Mountain has a 1,300-meter drop, it does not meet the International Olympic Committee’s requirements for an alpine skiing venue—specifically, an 800-meter drop within a 3,000-meter range. The slopes at Haituo are short and steep, making it extremely challenging to meet the required standards.
Both of these plans can meet the Winter Olympics’ requirements for alpine skiing events, with advantages in terms of slope difficulty and variety, as well as a superior natural environment, abundant natural snowfall, and better snow accumulation. In particular, the Zhangbei-Beijing First-Class Highway is set to open soon, which will significantly reduce travel time from Chongli and Chicheng to Beijing.
The list of candidate cities for the Winter Olympics will be announced next month, and it is almost certain that Beijing will be one of the three finalists. The chances of ultimately winning the bid are also over 80%. We look forward to Beijing and Zhangjiakou breaking the unwritten rule that "the same continent cannot host the Winter Olympics two consecutive times," and bringing this world-renowned sporting event back to China in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015.