BEIJING:Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), began his visit to China by watching the official video for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The 13th Beijing International Film Festival's opening ceremony served as the world premiere for the Lu Chuan and Zhang Yimou-produced movie "Beijing 2022," which will begin playing in theatres on May 19.

Along with volunteers and the movie's crew, Bach watched the movie. Prior to it, Han Zirong, vice president and secretary general of Beijing 2022, gave Bach a special Bing Dwen Dwen, the Games' mascot, in honour of the Year of the Rabbit.

"Now, this was waking up many emotions about the truly exceptional Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, and I think everybody was particularly excited about the athletes and the volunteers seeing the emotions, then watching this film together with the volunteers made it a very special moment because this is what the Olympic spirit is about," Bach said to Xinhua after the screening.

"It was clear that the volunteers gave their all for the competitors and the competition. So the absolutely extraordinary Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 can once again make the Chinese people extremely, enormously proud, he continued.

Bach is making his first trip to China since the Olympic Winter Games in 2022. In order to meet with Olympic partners and athletes, he will also travel to Qufu, the birthplace of several famous Chinese philosophers including Confucius and Mencius, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.

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