What they say

Thomas Bach, IOC president

"We are looking forward to successful Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and we have great confidence, built on our experience, that we will stage safe and secure Olympic Winter Games for everybody. These Winter Games will open a new era for winter sports globally. 300 million Chinese will become familiar with sport on snow and ice. The support of the international community for these Olympic Winter Games is very evident and is very much welcomed."

Mark McMorris, Canadian snowboarder

"I cannot wait to see you guys in February. The preparation leading to Beijing has been great. My expectations for the Games are to change the shade of my previous bronzes into silver and gold. China's participation numbers in the snowboarding category are through the roof. I am excited about it and I think it's great that people there are enjoying such an amazing sport. I really appreciate the support from China. I have been through a lot of injuries and I am glad to be motivating youth over there to get into snowboarding."

Apoloniusz Tajner, Polish Ski Association president

"The Chinese made the right decision to apply radical (COVID-19) restrictions, and thanks to that I will feel safe during the competition in Beijing. Due to the pandemic, these will be different Winter Games than the previous ones. The restrictions are necessary, we fully understand that. To be honest, thanks to the restrictions, I will feel safer than in other places. If some countries announced a total boycott of the Olympic Games due to political reasons, for sure I would disagree with that decision, as sport should be over other issues."

Giovanni Malago, Italian Olympic Committee president

"I have very high expectations for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. All of us are very sure that these expectations will be realized. Beijing is a unique city representing China, which is one of the most important protagonists of our world after wonderfully organized Games in 2008. A lot of our delegates and teams had very strong and positive impressions from the Summer Games. I am sure that the Winter Games in 2022 will not be less well-organized than the 2008 Games."

Shen Xue, retired Olympic champion figure skater

"I still remember how excited and emotional I was when we won the bid for the Games and here we are with one month to go before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Time really flies and we've done so much to not just prepare for the Games but also popularize winter sports from the grassroots up to the elite level in China. I cannot believe how things have improved on the winter sports landscape in our country over the past seven years, and now we have so many children getting involved in skating and skiing."