01 Nov 2021 – The world’s leaders assembled at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rome, hosted by the G20 presidency of Italy, have expressed their support for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

In their G20 Rome Leaders’ Declaration, the Heads of State and Heads of Government said: “We look ahead to Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics 2022, as opportunities for competition for athletes from around the world, which serves as a symbol of humanity’s resilience.”

IOC President Thomas Bach thanked the leaders for their support and said: “The IOC warmly welcomes the recognition and support of the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, with the Olympic athletes demonstrating humanity’s resilience against COVID-19.”

The Declaration from the Rome Summit is another strong signal of support from the G20 for the upcoming Games, after the world’s leaders said at their last Summit hosted by the G20 presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in November 2020: “As a symbol of humanity’s resilience and global unity in overcoming COVID-19, we commend Japan’s determination to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 next year. (…) We look forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.”

The Games were also supported by the United Nations in a declaration last November. A resolution entitled “Sport as an enabler of sustainable development” from 23 November 2020 welcomed “with appreciation all upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games, in particular those to be held in Tokyo in 2021, in Beijing in 2022, in Paris in 2024, in Milano-Cortina, Italy, in 2026 and in Los Angeles, United States of America, in 2028, as well as the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Dakar in 2026,” and called upon “future hosts of such Games and other Member States to include sport, as appropriate, in conflict prevention activities and to ensure the effective implementation of the Olympic Truce during the Games”.