Several competition venues for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital have opened one after another this winter season to host major international sports events and other ice and snow activities in the post-Olympics era.
The Big Air Shougang, a ski jump platform built for the 2022 Winter Olympics, started snowmaking to prepare for the FIS Snowboard and Freeski Big Air World Cup -- scheduled to take place from Nov 29 to Dec 1 -- using of ice crushers and snow groomers. A total of 7,000 cubic meters of man-made snow is expected to be spread across the towering snow slope.
Upon completion on Monday, the sports stadium will see more than 200 athletes from 31 countries and regions competing to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Chinese team will send five athletes, including Beijing 2022 men's snowboard Big Air winner Su Yiming, for the event.
The Yanqing National Sliding Center, a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in the northwest of Beijing, will host the IBSF Asian Cup Skeleton and the IBSF World Cup Skeleton this weekend. Athletes were seen to have intensive training sessions there.
"The track is very good, all the staff are doing a great job, and the athletes are very happy to be here. They will start to compete this weekend, so they are in training," said Normunds Kotans, a sliding sports expert from Latvia.
"This is my first time to compete in Yanqing, and I am very excited. I think this is the most beautiful track in the world," said Malaysian skeleton racer named Jonathan Yaw.
Following the two skeleton events, the FIL Luge World Cup will be held at the Yanqing National Sliding Center from Feb 19 to 23.
The Yanqing National Alpine Ski Center, a venue for all alpine skiing events at the 2022 Winter Olympics, will open some ski runs to ski enthusiasts this weekend after a snow-making project is completed. The FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup's Parallel Giant Slalom will be held there from Dec 5 to 8.
The Yanqing Olympic Zone, which consists of venues and facilities for Beijing 2022, including the National Alpine Ski Center, the National Sliding Center, and the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Village, will host five international ice and snow events, and welcome more than 500 athletes from more than 20 countries to participate during the 2024-25 season.
The National Speed Skating Oval, a speed skating arena which is the only new venue built on Beijing's Olympic Green for the Winter Olympics, will stage a musical drama and a New Year's concert, host short-track speed skating championships, and hold an ice and snow carnival festival this winter, turning the Olympic legacy into an asset benefiting everyday people.
Winter sports venues in Beijing ready to host big events in post-Olympics era
