July 31, 2015 - 5:13 AM
BEIJING, China - Beijing residents have expressed happiness and pride at their city's winning bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, although celebrations are more muted than 14 years ago when the city exploded in glee after getting the 2008 Summer Games.
News that Beijing would become the first city to host both summer and winter Olympics was greeted with lion dancers and confetti canons Friday evening at a staged government pep rally at the iconic Bird's Nest stadium, attended by about 500 preselected participants.
Liu Yunshan, a top Communist Party leader, addressed the crowd to pledge the central government's support for the effort.
Liu says "to all those who worked so hard for this we give you our thanks and best wishes."
News from © The Associated Press, 2015