Xi Meets the IOC, Alibaba Gets in on the Games, and the Olympics Go Green
Just how big of a priority are the Olympics for China? Here’s a less than subtle indication. President Xi Jinping went to Switzerland to give a speech at the World Economic Forum this week, a gathering of arguably the richest and most powerful figures in the world. And after that, who did he rush to meet with? Not a leader of a G7 country. Not Mark Zuckerberg or another powerful CEO. No, instead we see him pressing palms with Thomas Bach, President of the Olympic Committee (IOC).
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During their January 18 meeting at the International Olympic Museum in the Swiss city of Lausanne the pair promised that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games would be a "remarkable, extraordinary, and excellent event.”
Part of the Chinese President’s eagerness can no doubt be attributed to making Beijing the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games, but during the event he placed more emphasis on how the forthcoming event will give China the chance to boost the “health of all Chinese people” by facilitating “the nation's competitive sports and mass sports," which will surely have a trickle down effect by inspiring athletes of all levels to get out there and play.
Bach also meet with Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma in Switzerland this week. The Chinese mogul was also there to the World Economic forum, and he detailed plans to partner with the IOC for an e-commerce venture to sell Olympic licensed products, along with other web based strategies like an online Olympic Channel to better connect with a younger audience so as to avoid the disastrous low ratings of the Rio Olympics this past summer. That isn't just a promising deal-- along with a pledge to back the Olympics for the next 12 years, Alibaba's IOC partnership appears to have an unprecedented scope and level of commitement, a sentiment that Ma emphasized by saying "We are the first Chinese company to engage in an agreement like this, and we are hoping we can empower the Olympic movement even more."
But if you're worried that environmental concerns will get overlooked in all that political and financial maneuvering – especially considering how Beijing’s international reputation has been mired by smog related news as of late – then you might be reassured by how officials have been touting their sustainable practices as part of the Olympic prep. Those eco-conscious efforts include the repurposing of venues like the Bird’s Nest and the The Beijing National Aquatics Centre (aka the Water Cube), rather than solely building new facilities.
Liu Xinping, the head of the Games’ sustainable development and planning, told CRI on Jan 18 about other conservational efforts that are being “put forward during the designing process. For example, the electricity for lighting, venue operations and transportation will come from solar and wind power. The venues are designed using advanced renewable energy technologies, with energy saving and environmentally-friendly materials.”
Hopefully that means green will signify the forthcoming Games as much as gold, silver and bronze.
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Photos: Business Insider, Xinhua
