TWEETS: Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: No snow and a dodgy human rights record

Beijing will become the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympics after winning the vote for the 2022 Games - but a lot of commentators are unimpressed with the IOC’s choice of venue.

TWEETS: Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: No snow and a dodgy human rights record

Beijing will become the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympics after winning the vote for the 2022 Games - but a lot of commentators are unimpressed with the IOC’s choice of venue.

Before for the successful bid was announced, Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the People's Republic of China, was busy promoting Beijing as a city of ice, but people really weren’t buying it.

After this morning’s announcement, social media was full of people pointing out the area's obvious limitations.

Lizzy Yarnold, who won gold for Britain in the skeleton in 2014, told BBC Radio Five: “I do hope the IOC take the human rights issues into consideration and make sure there is an actual change for the better.”

Beijing will use some venues from the 2008 summer Olympics and will have mountain events up to 90 miles away from the city. British athlete Lizzy Yarnold warned that artificial snow creates different demands to real snow.

She added: “I know Beijing is a relatively warm place, and with the snow sports it [artificial snow] does make a huge difference – it impacts the speed and they need to take that into consideration when designing the venues.

“The venues will need to be technically excellent, need to be Olympic standard and I hope the IOC are going to make sure everything is ready.”

The victory will also once more focus attention on China's human rights record.

The campaign group Human Rights Watch has called on the IOC to ensure China improves its human rights record, and many on Twitter echoed those sentiments.

The Beijing 2022 bid committee said in a statement: ``We are honoured and humbled by the IOC's decision to award Beijing the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic winter Games. It is with an incredible sense of excitement that we express our thanks to the IOC and the wider Olympic Movement.

“This will be a memorable event at the foot of the Great Wall for the whole Olympic family, the athletes and the spectators that will further enhance the tremendous potential to grow winter sports in our country, in Asia and around the world.”

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