Samaranch, officially chairing the Commission for the first time, began the two-day visit with an optimistic message for Beijing 2022.

The Spaniard insisted that organisers would need to ensure the Games are responsible while delivery a strong legacy.

He highlighted the need to ensure the Games were delivered in accordance with the IOC's Agenda 2020 and New Norm documents, which stress the need to reduce the cost of hosting the Olympic Games.

"Together we can ensure the Games are an exciting sporting event, but also a responsible event," Samaranch said here.

"It has to leave a strong legacy that we are all proud of in the future.

"These have to be the most intelligent Games ever.

"Not the biggest, not the most expensive, but the most intelligent.

"When we are done with this exercise four years from now, we need to be proud of how we intelligently devised these Games.

"The legacy is critical, no-one can afford anymore to throw a wonderful two week party.

"It has to have a meaning, it has to have a legacy."

Samaranch's opening remarks to the meeting have continued to show the IOC's recent calls for organisers to maintain a firm grip on their budget.

With the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics being notable for their extravagance, his comments highlighted how the IOC are keen for the Chinese capital to follow a more frugal path as they prepare to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

The assertion also comes at a key stage of the 2026 Winter Olympic race.

Calgary face an upcoming referendum, while there remain doubts over bids from Sweden's capital city Stockholm, a multi-city Italian city bid and an effort from Ezurum in Turkey.

The IOC have been keen to highlight their increased focus on reducing the cost of staging the Olympics, with several recent referendums resulting in the public voting against hosting the Games.

Samaranch stated that he was confident Beijing would use their experience of hosting the 2008 Games to ensure that strong legacy projects would emerge from the winter edition in four years time.

He claimed organisers had already begun delivering legacy projects for the Games, citing the transformation of an industrial site into their headquarters as one of the successful initiatives.

"Contrary to Olympic history, you are already delivering four years before the Games event start," Samaranch said.

"This park itself shows you can transform an industrial site into the future and into a sports event where people can enjoy life and play, where they can work and live with quality of life and quality of air.

"It is an important legacy and it is very rare that you are delivering legacies before the Games.

"These Games in 2022 will bring a legacy far more than just infrastructure.

"You are going to make the objective that was set up politically, more than 300 million people practicing winter sport.

"It is already happening.

"The amount of people going to the mountain has tripled in the last two years and that trend will continue."