President Xi Jinping presides over a symposium on city planning and construction in Beijing and preparation for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, Feb 24, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

February 2017, Great Hall of the People, Beijing

President Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on preparation for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on Feb 24, 2017. After listening to the report delivered by Gou Zhongwen, director of the General Administration of Sport, Xi said the Beijing Winter Olympics is an important and signature event that requires intensive preparation work.

The year 2021 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will be an important opportunity to inspire national spirit and consolidate Chinese people home and abroad. To improve the standard of Chinese winter sports requires planning in advance and continuous promotion, added the president.

"In the long term, we should expand the winter sports coverage and lay a solid foundation among publics; and in the short term, we must improve our competitiveness and make breakthroughs as soon as possible," said Xi.

With five years to go before the opening of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China endeavors to scale new heights in ice-snow sports competitiveness and public penetration under promotion of various departments, he added.