Vice-Premier Han stresses pandemic prevention and control in Beijing 2022 preparations

BEIJING - With less than 100 days to go before the 2022 Olympic Winter Games opens, Vice-Premier Han Zheng on Thursday urged the organizers to make pandemic prevention and control a priority in the final stages of preparation.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when presiding over a meeting of the leading group which oversees the Beijing 2022 preparations.

"The preparatory work has progressed smoothly, and a solid foundation was laid for hosting the Winter Olympics as scheduled," Han said.

"We should strengthen our sense of responsibility, mission and urgency, prioritize the pandemic prevention and control in detailed preparations for a 'simple, safe and splendid' Games," he added.

Han noted that a Games-time command mechanism has been launched, calling for close cooperation among concerned parties to ensure the efficient running of the Games.

In October, a series of international competitions took place at the National Speed Skating Oval, the Capital Gymnasium in downtown Beijing, and the National Sliding Center in Yanqing to test operations such as ice-making, timing and scoring, COVID-19 containment, security and transport.

November's action will see a luge World Cup fixture followed by World Cup events for snowboarding and freeski cross, with Continental Cup events for ski jumping and Nordic combined scheduled in December.

Han urged the Beijing 2022 organizers to stage all international test competitions in accordance with Olympic standards.

He also called on the Chinese athletes to work hard for the upcoming Winter Olympics, while reiterating China's "zero-tolerance" stance on doping.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will take place between February 4 and 20, followed by the Winter Paralympics from March 4 to 13.

The Chinese capital is set to become the first city to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games.