The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be the new start for winter sports worldwide with over 300 million Chinese     1    (take) up them, said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Thursday,     2     he opened the 139th IOC Session in the Chinese capital on the eve of the Opening Ceremony.

The IOC President added that Beijing will     3    (official) become the first city ever to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games on Friday. Bach also     4    (believe) that the Chinese people will enjoy social benefits from hosting the Games.

According to Bach, Beijing is showing solutions for a more sustainable (可持续的) future. “From re-using venues (场馆) from the Olympic Games 2008; to powering all Beijing 2022 venues with renewable energy; to minimizing environmental     5    (impact) and reducing carbon emissions, all these measures underline the commitment of Beijing 2022 to contribute to sustainable     6    (develop) in China,” he said.

Beijing 2022 will also mean a lot for winter sports beyond China, and change the     7    (globe) landscape of winter sports forever.

For the athletes, Bach underlined how they have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity     8    (reach) not only their traditional supporters, but also a completely new fan base during these Olympic Winter Games.

“These Games are not     9     end of the story. With their performance and their appearance, each of these athletes can win over a huge new fan community for the time after the Games. With this they can take their own popularity and the popularity of their winter sport     10     a new height,” said the German.