IOC president Bach hails Beijing 2022 legacy at Winter Youth Games

GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese athletes' success in the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics is a great legacy of Beijing 2022, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on Monday.

Gangwon 2024 will run until Thursday, with China having won 16 medals, just one fewer than medal table leader Italy.

The Games is the first comprehensive winter sports competition that China has taken part in after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Bach believed that the outstanding performance of Chinese youth athletes is "one of the great legacies of Beijing 2022."

"You can see how the programs of winter sports development before Beijing 2022 are paying off, and you can also have great hopes for future Winter Olympics," he said.

The IOC chief spoke highly of China's fulfilment of its promise to engage 300 million people in winter sports, and this winter, Chinese people's fiery participation in winter sports boosted the country's economy.

"There are growing contributions of sport in general, in particular of the winter sports industry to the GDP in China," said Bach.

"This great engagement of so many Chinese people in winter sports also contributes to a healthy society because sports and physical activity are extremely important for physical and mental health."

According to Bach, people can see "the values of the sport of being reflected in an excellent way" in China.

"So I can only congratulate China on this great development and on this wonderful legacy of the truly exceptional Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022."

The former German fencer also mentioned the possibility of China bidding for Olympic events. He stated that it is up to China's decision, but the IOC is open to all proposals and willing to give advice.

Shanghai will host the inaugural Olympic Qualifier Series, a new series of festival-style events combining sport with urban culture along with Budapest. The Shanghai stop will be held from May 16 to 19.

Bach said Shanghai was chosen because of China's "outstanding successes" in hosting past Olympic events.

"China is also on the Olympic map this year, leading up to the Olympic Games Paris 2024," he said.