IOC Selects Beijing to Host 2022 Winter Olympics; Lausanne Win 2020 Winter Youth Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has chosen Beijing as the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The decision was made by the IOC in Kuala Lumpur today at the 128th IOC Session.

The vote between the two cities was closer than expected, with Beijing gaining 44 votes to Almaty's 40, a difference of just two voters. Beijing will become the first city to host both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, after the city held the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The Beijing 2022 Bid Committee commented: “We are honoured and humbled by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to award Beijing the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It is with an incredible sense of excitement that we express our thanks to the IOC and the wider Olympic Movement."

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, Michael Pirrie, Executive Adviser for major sports events, said the IOC's decision to choose Beijing was not a surprise and was low risk.

"It was expected, we’re talking about a city and a country that’s hosted arguably one of the biggest and most famous Games in recent times, the 2008 Summer Olympics," he said.

"They’ve now created Olympic history; they’ll become the first city to host a summer and a winter Olympic Games.

"Beijing is a city that’s proven it can deliver the Summer Olympic Games, arguably the biggest and most complex piece time event in the world. There’s also a vast new market there in northern China to create a whole spectacular snow resort and facilities for Asia in the years to come.

"But also the Beijing bid was very appealing to the IOC in terms of it was low risk. In many ways we saw that with Tokyo when they won the 2020 Games Bid, they marketed themselves as the low risk, the safe set of hands bid and in these times when there has been long-term problems with the planning for the Rio Games and the problems with Sochi, I think the IOC felt that they wanted to give the Games to a city that they felt had all the resources which China and Beijing certainly do."