Beijing has been gearing up to promote the city's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the latest effort will infuse the Winter Olympics as the theme for the capital's New Year Countdown celebrations.

Beijing's New Year countdown will be showcased at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest - one of the major venues that hosted the 2008 Olympic games - in addition to two other venues in the Yanqing district and the Chongli county of surrounding city of Zhangjiakou.

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Beijing is preparing for the event and the Bird's Nest can already be seen illuminated with a Winter Olympic-theme, which aims to build-up the city's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics while meeting the growing demand for winter sports in China.

The countdown celebration event is expected to run for four hours on December 31 leading up to the New Year and will consist of winter sports demonstrations, art performances, and will even offer the audience an opportunity to interact with Olympians.

The successful 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing opened up several opportunities for the city to boost its sports tourism, and the Chinese capital hopes to continue expanding its sports attractions with the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

"Sports-themed packages such as venue-exploring tours and sports merchandizing sales have contributed a lot to Beijing's tourism industry since the 2008 Olympics," said Wang Yue, deputy director with the city's tourism commission. "The bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics will build upon the momentum to further boost the business."

Venues around the city have already begun building new facilities. The MasterCard Center, the host venue for the 2008 Basketball Olympics, opened up a 15,000 square-meter outdoor ice park.

However, Beijing must first gain the approval of the International Olympic Committee before the city can officially claim the rights to host the Winter Olympics in 2022. The IOC will officially announce its decision on July 31, which would determine whether China or Kazakhstan would gain those rights. 

TagsBird's Nest, National Stadium, 2022 Winter Olympics, Chinese New Year 2015, winter sports