Beijing and Almaty make their final pitches as they try to win Winter Olympics

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‍‍The Kazakh city of Almaty and Beijing are making their final pitches to the International Olympic Committee ahead of the vote on the host city for the 2022 Winter Games.

Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Olympics, goes in as the favourite as it bids to become the first city to stage both summer and winter games. Almaty sees the Olympics as a way to help raise Kazakhstan’s profile on the international stage.

Each city was set to give 45-minute final presentations Friday morning to the IOC, with another 15 minutes allotted for questions and answers. Almaty was due up first.

The Almaty delegation was led by Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov. Beijing’s team was headed by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong.

Two retired sports stars – former NBA player Yao Ming and two-time grand slam tennis champion Li Na – will appear on behalf of Beijing, while Sochi Olympic figure skating bronze medalist Denis Ten is on the Almaty team.

The presentations could help sway any undecided members ahead of the secret ballot later in the day among 86 expected eligible voters.

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