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The International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has praised China’s preparation efforts.

The remarks were made at the fifth meeting of the Coordination Commission, which was held online and featured updates on the preparations, Sport Business reported.

International federations, World Para Sport representatives, and the leadership of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee took part in the meeting.

Coordination Commission chair Juan Antonio Samaranch said: “China has faced an incredibly difficult period over the past few months – our thoughts are with all those impacted…Despite these unique circumstances, Beijing 2022 has continued to meet key milestones, a true testament to their determination to provide the perfect stage for the world’s top winter athletes in just under two years’ time.”

Beijing vice-mayor and executive vice-president of the organising committee, Zhang Jiandong, said: “Despite the Covid-19 outbreak, we have been delivering a continuous effort without lowering standards.”

IOC president Thomas Bach has previously said Beijing 2022 might even benefit from the move of the Tokyo Olympics to next year. Bach said running the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics so close to each other could mean a raised profile for the events.