The 13th Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival, hosted by Beijing Olympic City Development Association, organized by Beijing Olympic City Development Centre and co-organized by Beijing Changping District People's Government, was grandly opened in the evening of August 5 at Yongle Youth Sports Base Camp in Changping District, Beijing.

Yu Zaiqing, Vice Chairman of Chinese Olympic Committee and Vice Chairman of Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games; Zhang Jiandong, Vice Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice Chairman of Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games; Li Xikui, Vice President of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Jiang Xiaoyu, Vice Chairman of Beijing Olympic City Development Association; Fu Xiaohui, Secretary General of Beijing Olympic City Development Association and Director of Beijing Olympic City Development Centre and Gan Jingzhong, Party Secretary of Changping District attended the opening ceremony.

The launch ceremony of the 13th Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival

Main Visual of the 13th Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival

The opening ceremony of the festival was based around three chapters: “Meet - Olympic”, “Meet - Beijing” and “Wonderful - City of Dual Olympics”. Through the performance of the flame lighting ceremony, the heartfelt narration of the champions of the Dual Olympics, the display of new Olympic projects and the singing of Olympic songs, the festival focused on the profound connection between Beijing and the Olympics and created an immersive audio-visual feast for the guests and audience.

At the opening ceremony, Zhang Jiandong awarded the flag to the “Dual Olympics Running Team” of the Olympic Home Running Club. Beijing Winter Olympic short track speed skater Li Wenlong and the Beijing Radio and TV host had an interactive exchange on the topic of “My Olympics and me”.

Zhang Jiandong, Vice Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice Chairman of Beijing 2022, presented the flag to the Olympic Home Running Club's “Dual Olympics Running Team”

The opening ceremony of the festival also highlighted the innovative concept of the “Dual Olympic Sports and Culture Caravan” and reflected the elements of the “Caravan” through the characteristic choreography and stage layout of the venue, which will shape the unique Olympic heritage brand influence for the future “Dual Olympic Sports and Culture Caravan” to enter all districts in the city.

The launch ceremony of the 13th Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival

In his opening speech, Fu Xiaohui pointed out that this year's Sports and Culture Festival has comprehensively implemented the spirit of the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping on "making good use of the Winter Olympic Legacies” at the summing up and commendation meeting of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games, and thoroughly implemented the overall plan of the 13th Party Congress of Beijing to “make good use of the post-Winter Olympic articles”. This year's Sports and Culture Festival insisted on being “people-oriented” and strived to achieve an innovative upgrade of the brand, adding Winter Olympics elements to the original Summer Olympics content and fully highlighting the unique charm of Beijing's Olympic culture as the “City of Dual Olympics”. Firstly, this year's Sports and Culture Festival will integrate resources to expand cooperation and promote the integration of culture, sports and tourism. The Beijing Olympic City Development Association will sign a strategic cooperation agreement with Changping District to jointly create a sports and cultural leisure destination that integrates the Olympics, culture, sports and tourism. Secondly, this year's festival will enrich sports and cultural activities, strengthen the effect of public experience and widely attract public participation. A series of mass sports and cultural events will be held in other areas in addition to various activities at the camp. In addition to the various activities to be held at the campsite, this year's festival will also include a series of mass sports and cultural events in other areas. Thirdly, the festival will focus on publicity and promotion to further reach out to the public, and strive to enhance the brand effect and influence to drive more people to participate in national fitness sports and promote the growth of regional sports, cultural and tourism consumption. The Beijing Olympic City Development Association will take on the responsibility of passing on the legacies of the Olympic Games and strengthen cooperation and resource sharing with relevant institutions and agencies. The Beijing Olympic City Development Association will do its utmost in the post-Winter Olympics article, excavate and make good use of the cultural heritage of the Dual Olympics, and welcome the 20th CPC National Congress with practical actions.

Fu Xiaohui, Secretary General of Beijing Olympic City Development Association and Director of Beijing Olympic City Development Centre speaking at the opening ceremony.

In his opening speech, Gan Jingzhong pointed out that the Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival, as one of the most influential Olympic-themed festivals, is a solid ground for promoting the construction of “Healthy China”, spreading Olympic Culture, promoting the construction of an international communication centre and promoting the sustainable development of the Dual Olympic legacies. Since its inception in 2010, each edition of the Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival has attracted enthusiastic participation from the general public, playing an active role in passing on the Olympic Spirit and driving national fitness, and forming a wide influence and reputation. This year, with the support of the municipal government and the Beijing Olympic City Development Association, the Sports and Culture Festival was held in Changping for the first time. We will inherit and carry forward the valuable spiritual wealth left behind by the Olympic Games, and do our utmost in all services and logistic works. We will make a contribution to the development of Olympic Culture and the promotion of Beijing as the “the city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games”.

Gan Jingzhong, Party Secretary of Changping District addressed the opening ceremony

After the opening ceremony, the organisers also held a wonderful Dual Olympics concert on site, which was watched by thousands of people.

Beijing Winter Olympic short track speed skater Li Wenlong and the Beijing Radio and TV host Chenjing had an interactive exchange on the topic of “My Olympics and me”

Tenor singer Zhao Yulong of the China Symphony Orchestra and young singer Deng Yujing of the China Symphony Orchestra sang the song “Xiangyue Beijing”.

The cast of “Dance Extreme” performed the dance “Olympic Light”.

Cast of “D-R Street Dance Club” performed dance “Breaking Young”

The Olympic House Choir sang the song “Smile to the World” with Zhang Jiaqi and Feng Difei from Beijing Dance Academy.

According to the organisers, this year's Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival is the first of its kind since Beijing successfully hosted the Winter Olympics and became the world's first Dual Olympic city, and the full injection of Dual Olympic elements is a distinctive feature of the festival. The festival consists of a series of events such as the Dual Olympic Camp, the Dual Olympic Culture Theme Exhibition, the 18th Beijing International Sports Film Week, the Swimming Challenge, the Junior Triathlon, the Women's 10km Challenge around the Lake, the Beijing Teqball Challenge, the Olympic Friendship Cities Cage Football Invitational Tournament, the China Diplomats Cage Football Friendship Tournament and the Five Rings Medal Youth Olympic Field Challenge. The “Dual Olympic Camp” includes more than 10 activities, including Olympic-themed camps, Olympic Songs Concert, Olympic Collection display, Sports and cultural goods exchange market, Challenge 9'83", Challenge 20.58m, Olympic Badge Exchange Bazaar, Children's Sports Puppet Show. The exhibition on the theme of Dual Olympics culture was displayed in three venues in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, of which the main exhibition was launched in the Summer Palace on 31 July. The 18th Beijing International Sports Film Week, with the theme of “Shine on Dual Olympics And Together for a Shared Future”, will select 18 outstanding productions from the selected domestic sports films to participate in the global finals of the 40th Milan International Sports Film and Television Festival. The Beijing Billiard Challenge, an international emerging sports competition, will be held on 27 August at the Juyongguan Great Wall Scenic Area. The Five Rings Medal Youth Olympic Field Challenge will be held at the National Speed Skating Stadium in September. The festival also relies on the rich media resources of its partner, Beijing Radio and Television, to carry out a series of promotional activities, as well as the interactive topic “#Weekend Fun at Dual Olympic Base Camp#” on new media platforms such as Weibo. The festival opened on 5 August and will run until March next year.

The co-organiser of the festival is the People's Government of Changping District, Beijing. The festival is supported by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Officials from the Publicity Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee; the Cultural Activities Department of Beijing 2022; the Beijing Municipal Education Committee; the Beijing Municipal Water Affairs Bureau; the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism; the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports; the Beijing Intellectual Property Bureau; the Beijing Communist Youth League; the Beijing Municipal Women's Federation; the Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Beijing Radio and Television Station; the China Film Museum; the Beijing Olympic Central Area Management Committee; the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Company Limited; the Beijing Public Transport Holding Company Limited; the Beijing Performing Arts Group and the Beijing Olympic Museum attended the opening ceremony. Representatives of some sports and cultural enterprises and institutions, industry associations, invited experts and scholars, athletes and artists, and sports and cultural organisations also attended the opening ceremony.

The Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival was founded in 2010, and is a sports and cultural event supported by the Beijing Municipal Government and organized by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association to serve the public. After more than ten years of careful cultivation, the Beijing Olympic City Sports and Culture Festival has now become an important Olympic-themed cultural brand event in the city, and has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a project of the Winter Olympic Legacy Inheritance List.