With the odds seemingly against the country's favor, the announcement of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach that Beijing has been chosen as the venue for the 2020 Winter Olympics sent the nervous Chinese supporters into an excited frenzy. Apart from beating rival Almaty, Kazakhstan in what could be considered as a neck-and-neck bid for the honor to host the 2020 event, Beijing also attained yet another notable achievement - becoming the first city to serve as host in both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics in this century.
According to The Guardian, Beijing's achievement was not an easy win for the city. Managing to beat Kazakhstan by a mere 44 - 40 vote, China's capital worked very hard to achieve this goal. Taking into consideration the minimal number that cinched Beijing's victory, it could be assumed that the decision making process inside the chambers of the IOC meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia had been inflicted with great debate and discussion. Nonetheless, the outcome reflected the effectiveness of Beijing's allure when it comes to delivering their promises and surpassing expectations.
One of the most difficult obstacles for Beijing to hurdle is the lack of snow in the city. Considering that the event is called Winter Olympics, the initial stages of the bidding process had Mother Nature on Kazakhstan's side. However, China's capital managed to provide a solution to this issue by citing the capacity of the city to produce snow through man-made devices. Given the manpower and technology of Beijing, the IOC was convinced on the city ability to stay true to its word.
As for Almaty, the Kazakhstan city's competitive edge relied on "real snow, real winter ambience, real winter games," referring to the refreshing natural beauty of the place. Meanwhile, Beijing opted to stay away from issues concerning the authentic Winter Olympics feel and focused on what the city has to offer in terms of protection, reliability and safety. Taking on the tag line branding the city as the "safe choice" compared with Kazakhstan, the Chinese city won over the hearts of the voters.
"It really is a safe choice," Bach said following the announcement of IOC's decision to choose China's capital as the venue for the 2020 Winter Olympics, according to New York Times. The IOC president added, "We know China will deliver on its promises."
Apart from the obvious effect of the Winter Olympics in Beijing tourism industry, residents of China's capital are excited over the changes in terms of environmental protection in the city, according to Xinhuanet. With Beijing's promise to deliver a fresh and clean feel to authenticate the winter season, residents are looking forward to the day that "the sky will become blue, the air fresh, the environment better."
