China has emerged as the front-runner to host the 2022 Winter Olympics following the withdrawal of erstwhile favorite Oslo because of the lack of support from the government. However, despite the likelihood of winning another bid to stage another major sporting event, Chinese people aren't much enthused about it and it was evident all over the place.

Like Us on Facebook

"Poorly attended news conferences, a meager global social media footprint and lack of much obvious enthusiasm on the ground: Beijing looks like an improbable front-runner to win the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics," according to South China Morning Post.

China has become a sporting powerhouse at the dawn of the 21^st century, going neck-to-neck with the United States, Australia and Great Britain for the top spot in the overall medal tally the past four Summer Olympics. However, regardless of its might in the Summer Games, China is considered a minnow at the Winter Games, bagging only a total of 12 gold medals throughout the Games' past four editions.

Even the Chinese government isn't expecting much from its citizens, who aren't showing the same amount of support they exhibited when Beijing was announced as the host for the 2008 Olympics in 2001.

"I've really not thought about this. I'm in charge of news and publicity, so it should be something I've thought of. But I've not," bid spokeswoman Wang Hui said last week when asked if public celebrations, or watching the decision on big screens around the city, were being considered," via SCMP.

Apart from its struggle to generate buzz, China's bid to host the 2022 Winter Games is also getting strong opposition from human rights groups who believed the county's checkered history of violating human right in the past should serve as a red-flag for the International Olympic Committee not to award the hosting right to the Asian giant.

"I strongly oppose this. It will all be man-made snow, it won't be environmentally friendly and it is a waste of our taxpayers' money," wrote one user on Weibo via SCMP.

However, despite the drawback in their bid for the event, Beijing is still favored to beat Kazakh City of Almaty to host the 2022 Games.

Tags2022 Winter Olympics, China Summer Games, Australia, Great Britain