IOC, China's Xi Agree to Boost Ties, Promote Sport Ahead of Beijing 2022 Games

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Chinese president arrived to the Olympic capital on Tuesday after giving a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Xi was welcomed by IOC President Thomas Bach, who invited the Chinese leader to hold a meeting during the three-day visit to Switzerland. On Wednesday, bilateral talks were followed by a visit to the Olympic Museum.

"In a bilateral meeting, the two leaders highlighted the close cooperation between the IOC and China with regard to the organisation of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. President Xi expressed his personal commitment to make these Games a success. They also discussed how the already strong ties can be strengthened in the future and how to promote the role of sport in society," the IOC said in a statement.

Following the meeting, Bach stressed China and the IOC enjoy cooperation across many levels, while Xi remarked that the IOC has an important role to play in helping promote the Olympic movement in China.

"We have many dreams, the Chinese dream of turning China into a society of prosperity; the dream of promoting the Olympic Movement; and also the dream of fostering a community of shared destiny for the whole of humanity. All the dreams are interconnected and integrated with one another. In this respect, I believe the IOC has a huge role to play to help the fulfillment of all these dreams," Xi said.

Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympics at the summer 2015 IOC session. The Chinese capital is set to become the first city in the world to host both summer and winter Olympic games.