Ceremony honors contribution of units, individuals to Beijing Games

President Xi Jinping highlighted on Friday the importance of building on the legacy of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, saying that the nation must cherish and carry forward the spiritual wealth and experience harvested in the preparation and hosting of the events.

In a speech delivered to a grand gathering in Beijing, Xi expounded on the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic spirit, describing the Games as "grand events for peace, friendship, unity, cooperation and global inspiration".

In front of an audience of thousands, including athletes, volunteers and officials, Xi and other senior Chinese leaders presented awards to representatives of outstanding units and individuals who have made key contributions. The nation honored 148 units and 148 individuals, including one awarded posthumously, for the success of the Games.

During the bidding, preparation and hosting of the events, which spanned seven years, the Games' participants jointly forged a spirit featuring thinking in big-picture terms, staying confident and open, rising to challenges and creating a better future together, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

China presented the world with a streamlined, safe and splendid Games, fully delivered its promise to the international community, and Beijing became the first city in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics, he said.

The Games, which attracted a historic high in terms of global viewership, became a stage for the patriotism of the Chinese people, he said. China hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics from Feb 4 to 20 and the Paralympics from March 4 to 13.

The vision to engage 300 million people in winter sports has now become a reality, as the nation developed a large number of venues and facilities, hosted sporting events for the general public, and the public's enthusiasm continued to rise.

The hosting of the Games has served to catalyze greater integration between Beijing and neighboring Hebei province and Tianjin, with regional transport becoming more convenient, the ecology and environment improving greatly and industries becoming more closely integrated, he said.

China put the health of all participants in a paramount position, put in place stringent measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and provided effective treatment and good care to those who tested positive, he said.

"China's anti-epidemic policy has again withstood the test, and it has contributed useful experience for the global pandemic response and the hosting of major global events," Xi said.

Team China, which competed in all major sports of the Games, also delivered its historic best performance at the events, securing nine gold medals and a medal tally of 15 at the Winter Olympics, and 18 gold medals and a total of 61 medals at the Winter Paralympics.

The Chinese athletes and coaches also acted on the requirement of putting their moral standards and style first and staying clean from wrongdoing, he said.

He highlighted the Party's unified central leadership as a key factor underpinning the success of the events, saying that facts have fully proven that the CPC is the most reliable backbone.

"As long as we unwaveringly uphold the Party's leadership, we will be able to tackle any difficulty or obstacle on the road ahead and accomplish anything we want to get done," Xi said.

China's socialist system－with its extraordinary capacity for social mobilization, coordination and implementation－the nation's solid economic and technological strength and composite national strength, served as a key cornerstone for the Game's success, the president said.

Another key experience is that the nation must continue to proactively prevent and respond to various risks and challenges, he said, while acknowledging that the hosting of the events had presented unprecedented risks and challenges with the world undergoing major changes unseen in a century and being hit by a once-in-a-century pandemic.

China also ensured that the hosting of the Games was closely aligned with efforts to serve the people and promote growth, and the success of the events lies not only in sports but also their far-reaching and positive influence on socioeconomic development, Xi said.

He called for steps to make full use of the legacies from the Games, in terms of venues, facilities, culture and talent, to enable the events to become new engines for growth and maximize their value.

It is important to continue to promote the popularity of winter sports, strengthen strategic planning, enable the proper development and use of sports venues and facilities, and develop snow and ice industries to maintain the public's enthusiasm for winter sports, he said.

He highlighted the need to carry forward the humanitarian spirit, respect and protect human rights, improve the social security system and the care and service system for people with disabilities, and promote the cause of disabled persons in a comprehensive manner.

Xi called for efforts to carry forward the Olympic spirit, promote the role of the Olympics in contributing to human peace and development and contribute more Chinese wisdom and strength to the progress of human civilization.

He pledged to continue moving forward reform and innovation in the sports sector, accelerate research and development of sports science and technology, improve the public fitness system and enhance awareness of physical fitness, especially among young people.

Wu Dajing, a short-track speed skater and gold medalist of the 2022 Beijing Games and 2018 Pyeongchang Games, said after the gathering that he felt immensely lucky to have been offered a platform to live his dream and to be able to compete in the Games in China.

Even though the events only lasted about two months, their success was built on persistent efforts by numerous unsung heroes over the past seven years, Wu said.