Beijing will become the first city to host the winter and summer Olympic Games after it was selected to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games on Friday (31 July).

The Chinese capital beat Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a close-run ballot at the 128th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Kuala Lumpur. Forty four IOC members voted for Beijing, compared with 40 for Almaty.

After the election, representatives of Beijing and IOC President Thomas Bach signed the Host City Contract, which is available here.

Beijing, which successfully hosted the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, aims to use the 2022 Games to accelerate the development of a new sport, culture and tourism area, and to encourage interest in winter sports in a region that is home to more than 300 million people. 

The city will use some of the iconic venues built for the 2008 Games, including the Bird's Nest Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies and the Water Cube for curling. The ice events will be staged in the city, while snow and sliding events will be held at mountain venues in Yangqing and Zhangjiakou. A new high-speed rail link will link the venue clusters.

Wang Anshun, the mayor of Beijing and leader of the bid committee, said: “We are overwhelmed with excitement, the people of China are thrilled and overjoyed.”

The IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur also saw the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games awarded to Lausanne, after the Swiss city beat Brasov, Romania, by 71 votes to 10.

Lausanne, home of the IOC headquarters since 1915, will stage the third edition of the event, which is expected to feature more than 1,000 athletes aged 15 to 18.