Organizers of the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics say the event will set a positive example while earning support for the joint Beijing and Zhangjiakou 2022 Winter Olympic bid.
Xiao Tian, vice chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said at a news briefing Thursday on the preparations for the Youth Games “whether the Nanjing Youth Olympics is successful will weigh a lot in the bidding process of the 2022 Winter Olympics. The success in Nanjing will boost the confidence of the international Olympic Committee that China is always ready for staging international events. The Nanjing event’s innovations in frugality and sustainability will impress the IOC and help the Winter Olympics bid”.
Yang Weize, executive chairman of Nanjing 2014, added that Nanjing will set examples in economic preparation and post-event use of facilities.
China Daily reports that to keep Nanjing’s promise of frugal preparation and less public disruption, 26 competition venues and 12 training facilities will be in modified and renovated stadiums, and there will be only one new venue – the Youth Olympics Sports Park for rugby, hockey and BMX.
Also, the organizing committee has cut its administrative spending to less than three percent of the overall budget and two per cent of the labour cost, significantly lower than other sporting events of comparable scale, said Liu Yian, the committee’s deputy executive secretary-general.
Yang, the committee’s executive chairman said, “economy doesn’t mean we are not willing to spend money, but instead we will spend wisely. The outcome of holding the Youth Olympic Games can’t be assessed only by the input-output ratio. The rich heritage and international image will be a valuable treasure for the city of Nanjing.
The Nanjing Youth Games start August 16, with 3,808 athletes ages 15 to 18 years from 204 countries and regions competing in 222 Olympic and non-Olympic categories.
