President Xi Jinping speaks to athletes, coaches and staff members at the Zhangjiakou competition zone of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games while visiting the National Biathlon Center in north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

The global sporting community has expressed confidence in China honoring its promise of delivering a spectacular Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2022.

By sportswriters Ma Xiangfei and Ji Ye

BEIJING, Jan. 21  -- President Xi Jinping's recent inspection on Beijing 2022 preparations has sent a reassuring signal to the sporting world that China is determined to deliver an excellent Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in one year's time.

Xi, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, this week inspected the Games' preparation work in the three competition zones of downtown Beijing, north Beijing's mountainous Yanqing District and the co-host city of Zhangjiakou.

Xi stressed that not only should preparation work be finished on schedule, but it should also be conducted "with greater perfection".

"Not only will we host a successful Winter Olympic extravaganza, but also a spectacular Games with unique characteristics," Xi said.

Even as the world is mired in the COVID-19 pandemic, and China, too, is still tackling sporadic outbreaks, preparations for Beijing 2022 are backed by strong government support.