Olympic Summit praises technical progress made by Beijing 2022

BEIJING -- The 9th Olympic Summit expressed confidence in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, especially the technical progress made amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Saturday.

The Summit, attended by leading representatives of the Olympic Movement, discussed issues including international support for the role of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022, the international fight against doping, virtual sports and gaming and Olympic Agenda 2020.

"The Summit participants were advised about the COVID-19 countermeasures being prepared for the Games by the Chinese authorities. Technical preparations for the Games are going extremely well despite challenges in the test events program due to COVID-19-related restrictions," the IOC noted in a declaration on its official website, which also confirmed that all venues will be completed by the end of this year.

The Summit was also confident about hosting a "safe and secure" Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, set to unveil on July 23, 2021 after a one-year postponement.

According to the Summit, a toolbox of COVID-19 countermeasures, including state-of-the-art rapid testing methods and vaccines, has been developed for possible Tokyo 2020 scenarios.

Reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020 was 85 percent completed with highlights in the protection of clean athletes, strengthened solidarity, gender equality, sustainability, good governance, the creation of the Olympic Channel, the relevance of sport in society, the Summit acknowledged.