Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders confer awards on representatives of those who have made outstanding contributions to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at a gathering held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

The following is the full text of a speech delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics review and awards ceremony on April 8, 2022.

Speech at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics review and awards ceremony

April 8, 2022

Xi Jinping

Comrades and friends,

After seven years of arduous efforts, we have successfully hosted the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, drawing wide attention both at home and from abroad. By overcoming various difficulties, the Chinese people, along with people from around the world, have once again presented the Games that will go down in history and together shared the glory of Olympics.

Facts have proved again that the Chinese people not only have the willingness and determination to make contributions to advancing the Olympic movement and promoting solidarity and friendship among peoples across the world, but also have the ability and enthusiasm to make even greater contributions.

The success in hosting the Games is a result of the efforts and wisdom of people working in different fronts for the preparation and organization of the events. Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games worked closely with Beijing Municipal Government, Hebei Provincial Government, the General Administration of Sport, and the China Disabled Persons' Federation. All the builders, workers and volunteers, bearing in mind the trust of the Party and the people and driven by the aspirations to win glory for the country, worked tirelessly and dedicatedly in their respective posts, and many outstanding groups and individuals have stood out among them.

Today, we gather here to review the experience of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and honor those who have made exceptional contributions to the Games, with a view to carrying forward the lofty spirit fostered during the preparation and hosting of the Games and inspiring the entire Party and all the Chinese people to strive for the second centenary goal and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Comrades and friends,

We Chinese always mean what we say. It is the solemn promise that the Chinese people have made to the international community to ensure the delivery of safe and splendid Winter Olympics and Paralympics as scheduled.

Over the past seven years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, relevant departments, as well as provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities cooperated closely to overcome difficulties. Beijing and Zhangjiakou, the two host cities, deployed their best resources, and worked closely with global sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee, to surmount challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and present the world with streamlined, safe and splendid Games. China has honored its solemn promise. Beijing has become the world's first "dual-Olympic city".

-- Splendid Games have drawn positive feedback from the international community.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were captivating, with the theme of building a community with a shared future for mankind running throughout. Integrating the Chinese culture with ice and snow elements, the ceremonies demonstrated the beauty of nature, the beauty of humanity and the beauty of sport, and showcased the image of China as a trustworthy, loveable and admirable country in the new era. The three competition zones have won universal appraisal of participants for their first-rate venues and facilities, meticulous and professional organizational work, and thoughtful services. The Beijing 2022 Winter Games have attracted billions of viewers around the world, making it the most watched Winter Games ever.

-- Patriotism was fully manifested, gathering a momentum for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Chinese people have shown their high-spirited patriotism during the Games. All Chinese both at home and abroad have paid passionate attention to and provided strong support for these grand events. On the field, Chinese athletes have competed with others tenaciously and won glory for the country. Every time the national flag flied high, all the Chinese people felt honored.

A flag-bearer said: "I was full of pride when standing at the flag-raising platform. It reminded me of the hard-won prosperity of the motherland. Filled with a sense of pride and enthusiasm beyond expression, I burst into tears..."

The Chinese culture was reflected in a smart way at venues of the Games. Bing Dwen Dwen has a lively and honest personality. Shuey Rhon Rhon looks festive and auspicious. Atmosphere of the Spring Festival was everywhere. Chinese doubao or steamed red bean buns were delicious. The "Winter Games Dream" met with the "Chinese Dream".

Chinese ideas such as integration and harmony were fully exhibited at the opening and closing ceremonies in a creative and delicate way. To name only a few: the 24 solar terms, the water of the Yellow River, the Chinese knot, the guest-greeting pines, the willow twigs and the theme song titled The Snowflake...

Audience were deeply impressed by scenes with meaningful implications, such as the waltz performance participated by hearing-impaired performers, the sign-language national anthem, the singing by a choir of vision-impaired children and the cauldron lighting by a vision-impaired athlete. Such scenes also motivated the passion of the Chinese people both at home and abroad to get united and move forward.

-- The goal of involving 300 million people in ice and snow activities has come true, with people's sense of fulfillment being enhanced.

The preparation and hosting of the Games have pushed forward the leap-frog development of China's ice and snow sports, which have extended from the Northeast to cover people across the country. A new era of ice and snow sports in China and the world at large has unfolded.

Since the preparation of the Games started, we have built a large amount of high-quality venues and facilities for ice and snow sports, and held a series of ice and snow events participated by the general public. The public passion for these activities continued to rise with 346 million people having participated in winter sports activities. Ice and snow has become valuable assets for people to get rich and for rural revitalization.

The preparation and hosting of the Games have promoted the development of social undertakings across the board, better securing the human rights of the disabled and enriching the lives of the general public.

-- The Games have left a fruitful legacy, with the success of the Games promoting regional development.

The preparation and hosting of the Games have strongly boosted national development, particularly the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

We have taken the preparation and hosting of the Games as a leverage to promote the region's coordinated development.

Now the traffic across the region is more convenient and faster, the environment has been improved significantly, industries are linked more closely and the public services are delivered in a more equitable way.

Venues such as the National Speed Skating Oval, dubbed the "Ice Ribbon", the Big Air Shougang, dubbed the "Snow Flying Ribbon", the National Sliding Centre, dubbed the "Flying Snow Dragon" and the National Ski Jumping Centre, dubbed the "Snow Ruyi", have become high-quality assets that benefit the people.

-- The COVID-19 prevention and control is targeted and effective, ensuring the safe and smooth progress of the Games.

Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic that rages across the world, we have put first the health of all participants, adhered to the policy of preventing imported cases and domestic resurgences, and strictly implemented the prevention and control measures. The health of people from all parties has been well safeguarded.

During the Games, only 0.45 percent of personnel under closed-loop management were tested positive for COVID-19. All of them have received effective treatment and were well cared for. No cluster of infections or spillover cases occurred and dynamic zero-COVID was maintained in cities.

China's COVID response policy has once again withstood the test, contributing useful experience for the world to fight against the virus and host major international events.

As some foreign athletes said, if there were a gold medal for responding to the pandemic, then China would deserve it. I would say that this gold medal belongs to all the staff involved in hosting the Games.

-- Moving forward with solidarity and cooperation, China has contributed its share to the humankind's efforts in overcoming challenges.

The Olympics bear the humanity's pursuit of peace, unity and progress. Against the backdrop of rapid global changes unseen in a century and multiple challenges faced by the human society, members of the Olympic family traveled all the way to China and joined the grand events. With solidarity and cordiality, our "circle of friends" and "group of partners" have kept expanding. Foreign athletes were loath to go when they left China. Some of them said: "I'm gonna cry on the plane, I'm gonna sob, love you." "I will definitely bring home the best Winter Olympics memory in my life."

The success of the Games has prompted exchanges between cultures, and played a key role in promoting solidarity, cooperation and joint efforts to overcome difficulties globally. It has also brought confidence and hope to a world overshadowed by instability, and sent the world a message of our times -- Together for a Shared Future.

Comrades and friends,

The glory of the Games is built on seven years of arduous endeavors. The Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics were prepared and hosted under great difficulties. Upholding the spirit of "never stop, never make a single mistake and never miss a day's work", all participants have made painstaking efforts.

-- The builders have built marvelous, world-class venues and facilities with craftsmanship.

-- The organizers have organized the events meticulously and professionally to create favorable conditions for athletic competition.

-- The supporting staff have provided warm and attentive services, working long hours to ensure that all contestants feel at home.

-- The medical and epidemic control staff have created unbreakable walls of protection to safeguard everyone's health.

-- The security team has guarded every corner of cities carefully to guarantee the smooth running of both the Games and cities with the highest standards.

-- Members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the People's Armed Police Force (PAPF), the public security police and the fire and rescue services have undertaken urgent, difficult, dangerous and arduous tasks, and completed their security-related missions successfully.

-- Those from the fields of art and literature, science and technology, designing, the media, foreign affairs, meteorology, as well as all other fronts, have stood fast at their posts in full solidarity and cooperation, made their own contributions and accomplished their tasks.

-- The volunteers offered warm services with their youthful vigor and dedication, showing the vibrant and energetic image of the Chinese youth to the world.

-- The tens of thousands of workers inside the closed loop stayed away from their families and stuck to their posts for months; their spirit and sense of responsibility has warmed our hearts. Some said affectionately: "To ensure the success of the Games, we will overcome whatever difficulties that may arise, and all our dedication has been worthwhile."

The motherland and the people are proud of all their hard work and outstanding achievements.

In the past seven years, our athletes and coaches bore in mind the expectations of the Party and the people, raced against time and trained hard. At the Winter Games, they competed bravely, performed beyond their limits and completed their tasks successfully. For the first time, the Chinese sports delegation has participated in all the disciplines and tallied nine golds and 15 medals at the Winter Olympics, and 18 golds and 61 medals at the Winter Paralympics, achieving our country's best-ever results at the Winter Games.

With concrete actions, our athletes and coaches also fulfilled the requirements of winning the competition in sports ethics, sportsmanship and integrity. They demonstrated the Olympic spirit and China's sporting spirit, achieved successes in both sports competition and sports ethics, and got a lot of credit for the Party and the people.

Driven by a strong sense of responsibility, mission and honor, participants in the Games have accomplished all the tasks outstandingly with their hard work, perseverance and courage. They have made achievements worthy of our motherland, our people and our times.

On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the awarded groups and individuals. I would like to offer my highest salutations to all the builders, workers and volunteers, to all the athletes and coaches, and to members of the PLA, the PAPF, the public security police and the fire and rescue services. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the people of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as the overseas Chinese, who have supported the Games enthusiastically.

During the preparations, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and members of the Olympic and Paralympic families helped a lot with our work. Governments and people of many countries and international friends provided us with great support. Leaders of many countries and international organizations arrived in China to attend relevant events in person. Athletes from all over the world respected and encouraged each other during the competitions and exceeded the limit of their endurance. They perfectly substantiated the Olympic motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together" and the Paralympic values "Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality." The Games are grand events that feature peace, friendship, unity and cooperation and inspire the world.

At this point, on behalf of the Chinese government and over 1.4 billion Chinese people, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, members of the Olympic and Paralympic families and friends from countries and regions around the world. I would like to pay high tribute to athletes from all participating countries and regions who courageously strived for the best during the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Comrades and friends,

Achievements are from hard work and victory does not come easily. Reviewing the seven-year extraordinary process of preparation and hosting of the Games, we have harvested not only the joy of success, but also abundant intellectual wealth and valuable experience, which are worthy cherishing and carrying forward.

First, we have upheld the Party's centralized, unified leadership. Attaching great importance to the Games, the CPC Central Committee established a leading group to coordinate all forces at the national level and push forward the preparation work. At the beginning of the preparations, the CPC Central Committee made it clear that the Games would be green, inclusive, open and clean. Facing the grave and complex global COVID-19 pandemic, based on the comprehensive analysis of situations both in and outside China, particularly the impact of the pandemic, the CPC Central Committee put forward the judicious judgment that "the success means to run the Games smoothly," and stated that the Games should be streamlined, safe and splendid. Staying true to the Party's founding mission, many Party members and officials fulfilled their commitment to carrying out urgent, difficult, dangerous and arduous tasks in the frontline with concrete actions. All the facts have proved that the CPC is the most reliable backbone for us to ensure great achievements. As long as we unswervingly uphold the Party's leadership, we will definitely overcome all difficulties and obstacles that we meet and ensure every success in our future work.

Second, we have pooled all resources to accomplish major tasks. The preparation for the Games is complicated and systematic. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the leading group for the Games and 18 other special agencies jointly put up the pillars to support the preparation work. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games and the governments of Beijing Municipality and Hebei Province cooperated closely with all sides including central departments, authorities of all relevant provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, the PLA, the PAPF, enterprises and higher learning institutions to overcome difficulties. People from all walks of life also participated in the preparations enthusiastically.

All those factors helped complete the preparation work at all stages. When the Games were being held, a three-level working mechanism featuring strategic command, command of operation and venue operation coordinated all forces to form synergy for hosting the Games. The socialism in China with extraordinary capabilities of organization, coordination and implementation, as well as our country's solid economic and technological strength and composite national strength gave us tremendous confidence and laid a solid foundation for the success of the Games.

Third, we proactively prevented and addressed risks and challenges. When the world was witnessing combined impacts of profound changes unseen in a century and the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympics faced unprecedented risks and challenges. We kept in mind the worst scenarios, adhered to a problem-oriented approach, stayed alert against potential dangers, and gave high priority to preempting and defusing risks and challenges. Having fully assessed difficulties and risks, we took the initiative to adopt a proactive strategy.

We sorted out risks in all fields in an all-round way, and established a regular working mechanism. We constantly identified problems, studied and solved them in time, and responded to them actively and properly, thus ensuring the safe and smooth running of the Games.

Fourth, we combined hosting the Games with serving the people and promoting development. The success of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics is not only the success of sports. The preparation and hosting of the Games have also stimulated development in various areas and brought about far-reaching positive impact on economic growth and social progress.

We have been committed to the principle that the people share the fruits of the Games. We have strengthened national fitness campaigns through the promotion and popularization of ice and snow sports, helped to lift people out of poverty through development of industries, and improved people's lives by providing better public services. The people now enjoy better physical and mental health, better employment and better life, which points to the fact that common participation and joint efforts have resulted in shared development.

A Beijing citizen participating in the performance in the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics said: "We are all ordinary people. Our participation in such a performance shows that the Chinese people have stood up, and that China has become strong."

Comrades and friends,

A great cause nurtures a great spirit, and a great spirit promotes a great cause. The participants in the Games cherished the opportunity presented by the great era, and in the process of bidding, organizing and hosting the Games, they have created the spirit of bearing in mind the big picture, being confident and open, rising to the challenges, pursuing excellence, and creating a better future together.

Bearing in mind the big picture means to have the motherland in mind and aim high. They regarded the preparation and hosting of the Games as one of the country's most fundamental interests. They saw it as the duty to win glory for the country and as the honor to make contributions to the country. They had the courage to shoulder responsibilities, united and fought hard for the motherland and the people.

Being confident and open means to be inclusive. They remained confident in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. They passed on the country's profound cultural heritage by innovative transformation and development. They substantiated the country's time-honored civilization through simple manners and in simple words. They showed the sincerity and friendliness of the Chinese people with hospitality. They promoted mutual understanding and friendship among different peoples through exchanges.

Rising to the challenges means to work hard with perseverance. They kept the high morale while knowing the burdens ahead heavy but still facing challenges, overcame difficulties and risks, and forged ahead.

Pursuing excellence means perseverance, dedication and meticulousness. They stuck to the highest possible standards and requirements, refined every plan and measure, sought perfection through rehearsals, and achieved breakthroughs and miracles one after another.

Creating a better future together means coordination, interaction and cooperation. Aligning the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic motto "Together for a Shared Future" with the new Olympic motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together", they kept themselves future-oriented with a global vision, and called on all members on Earth to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Comrades and friends,

It took us seven years to ensure a success in hosting the Games, and now we have prepared ourselves well for the next stage. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are an important landmark event China held at a crucial moment as the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups started the new journey toward the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects. We should make plans proactively and work hard persistently to make the most of the legacy of the Games.

The Games have left us not only venues and facilities, but also cultural heritage and human resources, all of which are valuable assets we must make full use of and make them new drivers for development. This legacy must be used to the utmost.

We will continue to make ice and snow sports more popular by strengthening strategic planning while building and making better use of sports venues and facilities. We will develop the winter economy and hold a wide range of ice and snow sports events to help maintain the general public's enthusiasm for these sports.

We will fully tap cultural resources from the Games to bolster confidence in our own culture and make China's voice heard globally and tell China's stories well.

We will carry forward the spirit of humanitarianism, respect and safeguard human rights, and improve social security systems and the system for supporting and caring for people with disabilities. We will promote all-round development of programs for people with disabilities, and encourage and support them in seeking self-reliance. Just as a vision-impaired athlete said at the Games: "I cannot see the world, but I want the world to see me."

We will promote throughout society the spirit of volunteers featuring contribution, friendship, mutual support and progress and allow full play to the active role of volunteers, to facilitate social progress.

We will carry forward the Olympic spirit, ensure the Olympic Games play an important role in promoting peace and development, and offer more Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to the progress of human civilization.

Our success in hosting the Games has greatly inspired hundreds of millions of people's enthusiasm for sports and energized China's sports development. We must aim at building up people's physique, improving their physical health and raising their living standards, and fully leverage the important role of sports in advancing people's well-rounded development. We will continue to promote reform and innovation in sports and enhance development and research in sports science and technology. We will improve the public fitness programs and raise awareness of sports and fitness among our people, the young people in particular. We will promote the country's overall strength and competitiveness in international competitive sports, and step up efforts to build China into a country strong on sports.

Comrades and friends,

We have realized our dream of hosting Winter Olympics and Paralympics and moved on together for a brighter future. Let us more closely rally around the CPC Central Committee, carry forward the spirit of the Games, and forge ahead more confidently and more determinedly toward the second centenary goal and toward the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.