迎接挑戰!中國力爭舉辦環保節儉的冬季奧運會!

The International Olympic Committee recently awarded the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to Beijing, which will host the sports gala with Zhangjiakou, a city in the neighboring Hebei province.

國際奧委會最近授予2022年冬季奧運會在北京開辦，北京將會和鄰省河北省的一個城市張家口共同主辦這個體育盛會。

In the West, the response has been apprehensive, presumably because of concerns over rising costs and environmental damage. Indeed, the pride of hosting the Olympics has lost much of its luster in recent years. The Athens 2004 Summer Olympics left Greece with $11-billion in debt, and the cost of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics soared to $51 billion.

在西方,響應一直擔心,大概是因爲擔心成本上升和環境的破壞。事實上,舉辦奧運會的驕傲已經在最近幾年失去了光澤。2004年雅典夏季奧運會留給希臘110億美元的債務,而2014年索契冬奧會成本飆升至510億美元。

Last year, the IOC presented its Olympic Agenda 2020 aimed at promoting sustainability and reducing costs. The agenda seeks to transform the Olympics into a "plug-and-play" event. Moreover, selected host cities must fit the games into their environment with minimal damage.

去年,國際奧委會於2020年奧運議程旨在促進可持續性和降低成本。議程試圖把奧運會變成一個“即插即用”的事件。而且,選擇主辦城市必須讓主辦項目以最小影響融入他們的環境。

In 2008, Beijing shut down many factories and plants to curb pollution, and the cost of hosting the Summer Olympics was $44 billion. During the 2022 Winter Games, however, Beijing hopes to portray a greener China, with a construction budget of only $3.1 billion.

2008年,中國政府關閉了許多工廠和植物抑制污染,舉辦夏季奧運會的成本是440億美元。然而,2022年冬季奧運會期間,北京希望塑造一個更環保的中國,建設預算僅31億美元。

At the same time, the capital region is likely to benefit from investments in infrastructure, including the Beijing-Zhangjiakou intercity railways, expansion of Beijing subway systems, upgraded highway networks and another regional airport.

與此同時,首都地區可能會從基礎設施投資中獲益,其中包括北京-張家口城際鐵路、北京地鐵系統的擴張,提升高速公路網絡和另一個區域機場。

What about the environmental effects?

環境影響呢？

Beijing's vision is to develop a winter sports market for more than 300 million people in northern China. The plan is to reuse 11 of 12 venues built for the 2008 Olympics. The goal is to integrate the Winter Games with sustainable development plans for the wider region, focusing on clean energy, green technology, and improvement in ecology and air quality.

北京的目標是在中國北方開發一個超過30億人的冬季運動市場。計劃是重用爲2008年北京奧運會修建的12個場館中的11個。目標是更廣泛地區的可持續發展計劃整合冬季奧運會,關注清潔能源、環保技術,改善生態和空氣質量。

In 2008, polluting factories were moved out of Beijing, and anti-smog regulations were implemented during the games. But the smog returned with revenge after the Summer Games. In 2022, the city's air is expected to be significantly better, thanks to the government's $7.6 billion anti-smog program, which is not directly linked to the Winter Games.

2008年,北京的污染工廠都搬出去了治理霧霾規定在奧運會期間實施，但夏季奧運會後的霧霾復仇一樣又返回來了。多虧了政府出資76億美元治理霧霾，雖然這項投資並不是針對冬奧會，但預計2022年城市空氣環境將會大有改善。

The skiing events will be held in the mountains of Zhangjiakou in Hebei, one of China's most polluted provinces. In the arid region, the ultimate challenge is to make snow for the duration of the Winter Games.

山區的滑雪活動將在中國污染最嚴重的省份之一河北張家口舉行,。在乾旱的地區,最終的挑戰是在持續的冬季奧運會期間製造雪。

In Sochi, Russia stockpiled snow. Beijing aims to manufacture most of the snow in an environmentally friendly way. The IOC has suggested that Beijing may be overestimating its supplies and underestimating the water needed to make snow, but it believes "adequate water for Games needs could be supplied".

在俄羅斯索契囤積了雪。北京的目標是以環保的方式生產的大部分雪。國際奧委會曾暗示，北京可能高估其供應或者低估了製造雪需要的水,但它相信 “可以爲冬季奧運會提供足夠的水”。

The 2022 Olympics rely on efforts to clean the air with long-term regional solutions. In that sense, the stakes are high both for Beijing and the addition to costs and environment, the IOC's decision to make Beijing the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics has been criticized. But given the fact that one in every five people in the world lives in China, Beijing's role as the host of both games is hardly surprising.

2022奧運會需要長期的解決方案來淨化空氣。從這個意義上說,對北京和國際奧委會賭注是很高的。除了成本和環境,國際奧委會的使北京成爲第一個舉辦了夏季和冬季奧運會的城市的決定受到了批評。但由於世界上每五個人就有一個人住在中國,北京作爲兩個奧運會東道主的角色就不足爲奇了。

Some skeptics also argue that many Beijing and Zhangjiakou residents opposed the Games. Yet in December 2014, the IOC's independent public poll on Beijing's bid showed overwhelming support for the games in Beijing (88 percent), Hebei (93 percent) and China overall (92 percent).

一些懷疑論者也爭論北京和張家口的許多居民反對這個奧運會。然而,2014年12月,國際奧委會對北京申奧的獨立民意調查顯示，民衆對奧運會的廣泛支持，在北京佔88%，河北93%，全國92%。

Ever since the first games in France in 1924, the Winter Olympics have not been immune to scandals and controversies, from allegations of bribery and doping to Cold War politics. Yet, for nine long decades, these games were held mainly in advanced economies, while several countries - including Switzerland, the US and Japan - hosted them twice, or more.

自從1924年第一屆奧運會在法國舉辦以來,冬季奧運會已經沒有受到誹謗和爭論的影響，排除了賄賂指控和冷戰政策的刺激。然而,九十年過去了,這些奧運會主要在發達經濟發達的國家舉辦,而一些國家——包括瑞士、美國和日本已經舉辦了兩次,甚至更多。

In the past few years criticisms seem to have become more pointed. Perhaps one reason for the sharper tone is that Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014, and the Republic of Korea and China will host the games in 2018 and 2022. Indeed, the Olympic torch is shifting from advanced countries to emerging economies, reflecting the shift of economic power from the West to emerging Asia.

在過去的幾年裏批評似乎變得更加尖銳。也許更清晰的基調的一個原因是,俄羅斯2014年舉辦冬季奧運會,中國和韓國將於2018年和2022年舉辦冬季奧運會。事實上,奧運火炬將從發達國家轉移到發展中國家,反映出經濟實力從西方轉移到亞洲新興市場。

In the past, the Winter Olympics were dominated by advanced economies. As emerging economies join in, the games are gradually becoming truly global.

在過去,冬季奧運會是由發達國家主導。隨着新興經濟體的加入,奧運會逐漸變爲真正意義上的全球化。