A file Photo of ski resort in Zhangjiakou, applying to be the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. [Photo: CFP]

The host city of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be revealed on July 31st.

The bid from Beijing and Zhangjiakou, which have jointly applied to host, is one of the frontrunners.

China Radio International takes a closer look at Chongli county in Zhangjiakou, where some major venues are located.

In the northwest of China's Hebei province and between the North China Plain and the Inner Mongolian Plateau lies Chongli County, a part of the city Zhangjiakou. The wintry climate of the area makes it ideal to host cold weather sports such as skiing.

Wei Qinghua is a specialist in China's ski industry and has over 13 years of experience in designing and operating ski resorts in China. He says Chongli's climate is the most attractive quality to national and international skiers.

"Chongli is a special place, where cold wave from the Northwest and thaw from the Southeast merge in winter. We have lots of snow there. The average total snowfall is around 1 meter, and there is always at least 80 cm of snowfall. It starts to snow in late September, and people have to get their padded jackets ready for use in October. The ski resorts are open to the public in November."

The natural weather condition of Chongli makes the area a suitable place for training and perhaps, hosting international games. Wakatsuki Hitoshi, the director of Ski Association of Japan and the assistant general of the Department of Alpine skiing, agrees.

"Japan does have heavy snowfall but the snow isn't suitable for professional training. It's too soft for the standard of the International Ski Federation. We could only travel to America or Europe to practice in the past. But the conditions there aren't better than those in Chongli. In fact, Chongli is one of the best ski resorts around the world in November."

Having suitable condition for skiing in November is not the only advantage that Chongli has over other cities in the race to host the Olympics. It also has abundant water resources and favorable conditions for snowmaking.

As many other host cities have done in the past, Beijing and Zhangjiakou would probably need a huge amount of artificial snow to create conditions that meets the Olympic standards for winter sports. Mojca Ogris, the vice-president of Demaclenko Snowmaking, believes that the climate in Beijing and Zhangjiakou is ideally suited by snowmaking.

"According to the standard of the ISF (International Ski Federation), density of the snow used in Winter Olympics must reach 600. But the density of natural snow is far below 600, so the snowmaking system provides a strong support for Winter Olympic Games. Take the downhill as an example. We need more snow in other ski resorts because we need to consider the melting rate of snow. But this is not a problem for Beijing. Beijing has a cold and dry winter."

With many professionals and athletes optimistic about the long term development of the ski industry in Chongli and China, hosting the winter Olympics is no longer a shadowy dream but a dream that could be realized in the near future.

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