Chinese President Xi Jinping offered congratulations to a newly-launched channel of the country's major broadcaster on Monday, urging it to make contributions to pushing forward China's sports powerhouse building.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, hoped that China Central Television (CCTV) Olympic Channel of China Media Group (CMG) can proactively promote healthy life concept, follow development of mass sports and youth sports and contribute to boosting China's sports powerhouse building, in his congratulatory letter to the launching ceremony of the linear and digital platforms of the channel.

Through spreading the Olympic Movement and Olympic culture, the Olympic Channel should tell China's sports stories and carry forward Chinese sporting spirit, enhance international sports exchanges and cooperation, and promote mutual learning among civilizations and people-to-people communication between China and the rest of the world, Xi noted.

With over 100 days to go before the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Xi hoped that the Olympic Channel can excellently present the journey of winter sports athletes from China and around the world to improve and go beyond themselves.

Xi also urged the channel to thoroughly expound the "green, sharing, open and clean" concept of hosting the Games, and comprehensively manifest the Olympic new chapter of "fantastic, extraordinary and excellent" Beijing 2022.

The CCTV Olympic Channel is set up as an important outcome of strategic partnership between the CMG and International Olympic Committee, and consists of a TV channel and digital platforms.

Bearing the name of CCTV-16, the Olympic TV Channel is the world's first professional sports channel aired non-stop and simultaneously with 4K ultra-high-definition and high-definition standard.