The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has marked the one-year anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of Beijing 2022 by outlining the social and economic benefits of China's hosting of the Winter Olympics.

Beijing held the Games against the a backdrop of human rights concerns, with China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and its record in Tibet and Hong Kong coming under scrutiny.

The Winter Olympics were also overshadowed by the doping scandal involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva that was exclusively revealed by insidethegames.

But the IOC has hailed the "spectacular" staging of the Games that took place under strict COVID-19 restrictions.

China enjoyed its best-ever Winter Olympics, registering nine golds in a 15-medal haul.

The IOC said that 346 million people have participated in winter sports in China since 2015 when Beijing was awarded the Games.

It is also claimed by the Chinese Tourism Academy that country's winter leisure tourism sector is expected to welcome more than 520 million visitors in the 2024-2025 ice and snow season and generate revenue of more than CNY720 billion (£89 billion/$107 billion/€99 billion).

China’s infrastructure for winter sport has also been boosted with the country creating 654 standard ice rinks and 803 indoor and outdoor ski resorts.

The IOC also praised Chinese organisers for reducing the environmental impact of the Games by reusing five venues from the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, including the National Aquatics Centre that staged the curling competitions.

Other areas that were lauded were gender equality, with Beijing 2022 holding the highest number of women’s events at a Winter Olympics, and the use of new technologies and sustainable solutions.

"Beyond staging spectacular Games, Beijing 2022 was laser focused on delivering lasting social and economic benefits for its residents - in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5," said Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games executive director for the IOC.

"One year on, the most outstanding feature of these Games is the way they touched the lives of millions of local people by making them discover the world of winter sports.

"The organisers also made sure the Games minimised their impact on the environment by prioritising the use of existing venues, using renewable energy to power all the venues, and implementing innovative technology, such as the CO2 refrigeration systems that will help make winter sports more sustainable."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also praised Beijing 2022 organisers for holding a "carbon-neutral event".

"From the clean energy powering the venues to the smaller-than-expected Olympic flame, Beijing 2022 honored (sic) the pledge of hosting a green event and demonstrated China’s commitment to ecological conservation and implementation of the UN’s sustainable development goals," said Mao.

"The rich legacy of Beijing 2022 is also reflected in its lasting contribution to socioeconomic development.

"Currently, all the competition venues are open to the public and athletes, promoting fitness-for-all programs and the development of competitive sports.

"At the same time, by hosting high-level competitions, launching mountain outdoor sports activities and introducing feature tourism and recreation, efforts have been made towards year-round operation of the venues, offering new ideas for the post-Games use of international sports venues.

"China will continue to review the good practices of Beijing 2022 and enhance exchange and cooperation with all parties to contribute more to the Olympic Movement."