Editor's note: Since the beginning of this year, centering around the preparation of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Beijing's foreign affairs service has coordinated and mobilized strengths from all parties, and fully tapped into foreign affairs resources and channels (such as sister cities) to promote the Olympics, ensure foreign affairs protocol, improve language environment, and guarantee foreign-related security and services, contributing to the success of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Recently, Minister Counsellor Emanuele Di Lorenzo Badia, deputy head of the Italian Embassy in China, said in a meeting with the Beijing Foreign Affairs Office that Italy supports the Beijing Winter Olympics and is willing to take this opportunity to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between cities of the two countries.

The Minister Counsellor spoke highly of the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics. He said that Italy is a major country in winter sports. As the 2026 Winter Games is to be held in Milano and Cortina in Italy, the Beijing Winter Olympics will provide important reference for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Italy supports the Beijing Winter Olympics and will send a large delegation to China. The Italian Embassy in China is willing to take the Beijing Winter Olympics and the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism 2022 as an opportunity to promote pragmatic exchanges and cooperation between relevant Italian cities and Beijing.

Rome, the capital of Italy, is a sister city of Beijing. Over the years, Beijing has maintained good relations with several Italian cities, including Rome. The Italian cities of Cortina d'Ampezzo and Turin hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956 and 2006 respectively. Beijing and Turin have conducted close exchanges and discussions on Olympic preparations, Olympic security, and heritage transformation. The Italian experience provided a useful reference for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In June 2019, Milan-Cortina won the bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Milan's Mayor Giuseppe Sala said after winning the bid that the Winter Olympics would promote the cooperation between Milan and Beijing, and that Milan would learn from Beijing's experience of hosting the Winter Olympics. On December 9, 2021, at the China-Italy Winter Olympics Cooperation Seminar held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Gianpietro Ghedina, Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo, said, "Our city is paying attention with respect to preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Beijing held a successful Summer Games in 2008, and this time I'm sure you will do your best. The relay of the next Winter Games will be passed to Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. We look forward to strengthening the further cooperation with Beijing."

(Photo source: IOC official website)