Organisers made the assertion in the closing press conference on thet hird visit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission to the Chinese capital here today.

Prior to Beijing being awarded the Games three years ago, an IOC Evaluation Commission report warned that both the Zhangjiakou and Yanqing Zones have "minimal annual snowfall" and the Games would rely completely on artificial snow.

The report noted that the Beijing to Zhangjiakou area was becoming increasingly arid as a result of "climate change, intensive industrial and agricultural use and domestic demand".

It has been expected that the majority of water would be drawn from established reservoirs for the venues.

The Yanqing Cluster is set to be the home of Alpine skiing competition at the Games, while biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and freestyle skiing events are due to be among the snow sports in Zhangjiakou.

When asked the measures are being put into place to ensure the sustainability of the new Alpine skiing and biathlon centres beyond the Games, Beijing 2022 claimed they were taking several steps to save water.

"All winter sports, no track or no snow course can be formed naturally," Zhang Jiandong, Vice-Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice-President of Beijing 2022, said.

"We have to make artificially snow.

"We have found that not that much water is required to produce the artificial snow.

"But, we have paid a lot of interest in finding ways to collect and save water.

"There are many streams nearby.

"We are planning rainfall reservoirs to which will help us to collect more water to use.

"We are looking to also find ways of capturing snowmelt that can be utilised.

"There is also a reservoir nearby.

"We are making sure the venues will not impact the water supply of people."

Alpine resorts have continually been established near Beijing in recent years, with the use of water from reservoirs reported to be commonplace.

Concerns have been raised as the whether of the planned facilities for snow sports by Beijing 2022 will be sustainable after the Games, given the dependence on artificial snow.

Beijing 2022 were said to have presented the Coordination Commission with their first progress report on the implementation of the environmental impact assessment during the visit.

Chinese organisers have continually stressed that they will deliver a "green, inclusive, open and clean" Games, with sustainability having been a repeated mantra during the two-day Coordination Commission visit.

The development of the snow sport venues is part of a plan to encourage 300 million people to participate in snow sports.

It is hoped this will ensure a legacy for the venues, contributing into the facilities becoming tourist hubs.