Commentary: The Beijing Winter Olympics will leave an unparalleled international legacy for the world

Beijing, 2 Feb (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Winter Olympics will leave an unparalleled international legacy for the world

Xinhua News Agency reporter Luo Xin zhao Xuetong

The opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics is imminent. The world-renowned Olympic event will once again enter "Beijing time". What will the Beijing Winter Olympics bring to the world? How will it solve the world puzzle of using it after the game? China has the answer.

From the beginning of the preparation, it has comprehensively planned and managed the Olympic heritage, combined the needs of the Games with the use after the Games, and actively practiced the concept of sustainable Olympic games to create a new benchmark for the work of the Olympic heritage. IOC President Bach praised: "The Beijing Winter Olympics will leave a rich legacy to the world. ”

The popularity of ice and snow sports has opened a new chapter in global ice and snow sports

For Wang Zhiyong, manager of the international department of the Beijing Capital People's Hockey Club, since the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics, he has spent the Spring Festival every year in his busy work. On February 4, his club ice rink will reopen and the players will resume training.

"The club's membership has grown from a few dozen in 2016 to more than a thousand today, and has grown rapidly. Many players have become the main force of the Beijing youth ice hockey team. The club continues to internationalize in the development of ice hockey, introducing foreign coaches from some ice hockey powers to teach children experience. Wang Zhiyong said. Ice hockey is both physical exercise and teamwork, and it attracts more and more children to participate. ”

The Beijing Winter Olympics have led to the popularization of ice and snow sports in China, solving the problems of insufficient venues, lack of talents, and lack of promotion. According to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Report Collection (2022), by the beginning of 2021, there were 654 standard ice rinks and 804 indoor and outdoor ski resorts in the country, an increase of 317% and 41% respectively over 2015. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, as of October 2021, the number of participants in ice and snow sports in China reached 346 million.

Yulia, a foreign volunteer for the Beijing Winter Olympics, came to China from her hometown of St. Petersburg in 2012 and often used her vacation to go skiing with her classmates. She noticed that in recent years, as the Beijing Winter Olympics are getting closer, more and more Chinese have begun to walk into the ski resorts. "I think that's the beauty of the Winter Olympics." She said.

In the years since China prepared for the Beijing Winter Olympics, "bringing 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports" has gradually moved from vision to reality. "The achievement of this goal fully reflects China's ambitions and will leave a rich legacy to the world." Bach said, "By hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics, the development of ice and snow sports in China will not be the same. ”

The Beijing Winter Olympics have become a bridge to promote international exchanges. In recent years, Beijing has recruited 37 foreign experts and introduced 207 foreign professional and technical personnel to participate in the preparatory work, which has played an important role in venue design, track construction, and competition organization.

On the 2nd, the Chinese Paralympic Alpine Ski Team was still preparing for the competition nervously. Italian Cappelli Dario, head coach of the Chinese Paralympic Alpine Ski Team, said: "This is my fourth year in charge of the Chinese Paralympic Alpine Ski Team. From beginners to mature professional athletes, the team members have made great progress, and some players have won gold medals in World Cup competitions. Hopefully, this time I can lead them to the podium of the Winter Paralympic Games. ”

In the 109 Winter Olympic events, China has gone from about one-third of the blank to the realization of full project development, project team building, and project training, in just a few years.

The Beijing Winter Olympics have led to the improvement of China's ice and snow competition level, and more and more athletes are shining on the world stage. According to data provided by the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, the number of registered participants in national ice and snow sports competitions increased from 5,111 to 11,398 from 2015 to 2020. The total number of medals won by the Chinese team in international competitions has increased from 42 in 2015 to 69 in 2019, of which the total number of medals in snow sports has increased from 16 in 2015 to 31.

International ice and snow events have settled in China. Such as the 2019 FIS City Cross-Country Skiing Points Race and the 2021 "Meet in Beijing" Asian Figure Skating Open.

Provide the world with "Chinese wisdom" and "Chinese solution" for venue construction

"Bird's Nest", "Ice Ribbon", "Ice Cube", "Snow Dragon", "Snow Ruyi"... Poetic words have become code names for the "conventions" of the Venues of the Beijing Winter Olympics. When the Beijing Winter Olympics welcomed Chinese and foreign athletes, they praised these venues. I believe that in the near future, these venues will also become the brightest stars in their memories of the Winter Olympics.

These new or renovated and expanded venues with both aesthetic and creative feelings have set a number of world bests, set a new benchmark for the construction of sports venues in the world, and contributed to the "Chinese Plan" for the construction of Olympic venues composed of Chinese design, Chinese technology, Chinese materials and Chinese manufacturing.

Walking into the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon", the ice surface of nearly 12,000 square meters is smooth as a mirror. Canadian speed skating coach Jelornek said: "This ice rink is beautiful, maybe the most beautiful in the world. The ice rink is large, but it's warm indoors. ”

"The ice surface of the 'ice ribbon' is the ice surface of the world's largest speed skating stadium using carbon dioxide to make ice, the carbon emissions of the ice making process tend to be close to zero, and the temperature difference of the ice surface can be controlled within 0.5 ° C, which not only improves the efficiency, but also the refrigeration is more uniform, which helps athletes to create good results." Yue Peng, chairman of the Beijing State-owned Assets Corporation, said.

"The Ice Ribbon is also the world's largest single-storey two-way orthogonal saddle-shaped cable mesh roofing stadium. Using this cable mesh structure design, the amount of steel used is only a quarter of the traditional roof. The 'Ice Ribbon' sets a new benchmark for the Olympic Games in terms of green, environmental protection and sustainability. At the 'Meet in Beijing' Speed Skating China Open held in October last year, a number of athletes skated their personal bests in the 'Ice Ribbon'. Yue Peng said.

The National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon" is a competition venue for the speed skating project of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and will witness the birth of 14 gold medals during the competition. The only new ice venue for the Beijing Winter Olympics was inspired by speed skating. The 22 spiraling "ribbons" resemble the marks left by speed skaters when they glide at high speed.

"Creating this light, flowing effect is not easy." Yue Peng said, "The 3,360 curved glass units on the façade need to be mechanically and manually operated, and are seamlessly embedded in a frame made of 160 S-shaped steel keels. The glass used in the curved curtain wall, each piece of size, curved surface, curved, all customized in the factory through BIM technology. ”

The construction of the "land heritage" on the hockey stadium and archery field of the Temporary Venue of the Beijing Olympic Games, from the laying of the first pile to the first successful ice making after the full completion, the "ice ribbon" took only three years. "This is due to the fact that the 'ice ribbon' has achieved innovation and breakthroughs in project planning, construction design, technical technology and other aspects, such as the installation of the ring truss of the National Speed Skating Hall, civil and steel structure construction at the same time; in the construction, the cement waste pile head is recycled and reused, converted into raw materials for making the grandstand." Yue Peng said.

Yue Peng introduced that the "ice ribbon" full ice design can divide the ice surface into several areas with different temperatures, and carry out all mass ice sports such as ice hockey, speed skating, figure skating, curling and so on. After the Beijing Winter Olympics, "Ice Ribbon" will focus on building an ice and snow sports center that integrates sports events, mass fitness, culture and leisure, exhibition and display, social welfare and other functions, and strives to become an important window to show the unique charm of Chinese culture and a beautiful business card for the development of China's ice and snow sports.

"Water Cube" can carry out "water ice conversion", Wukesong Stadium can achieve "ice basket conversion", and multiple venues are the "heritage" of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games...

At the beginning of the construction and transformation of the Winter Olympic venues, the National Stadium "Bird's Nest" and the National Aquatics Center "Ice Cube" fully considered the use of the Winter Olympic venues after the Games, and highlighted the concept of "people-centered" Olympic venues. At present, "Ice Cube" uses the underground space of its south square to build an ice sports center, including a standard ice hockey rink and 4 standard curling tracks, which are open to the public after the game.

After the "Bird's Nest" competition, it will do a good job in ensuring major international and domestic activities, hold large-scale events and performances, and carry out national fitness experience activities, tourism and leisure services. According to reports, after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, since the opening of operation, the "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube" have held more than 3,500 events, performances, exhibitions and national fitness activities, receiving more than 65 million Chinese and foreign tourists and audiences. It is believed that after the Beijing Winter Olympics, the two venues will bloom with greater brilliance.

On the "Xue Ruyi" track of the National Ski Jumping Center in the Zhangjiakou area of the Beijing Winter Olympics, ski jumpers can see an artificial trace of the line, which is the remnant of the Great Wall, when they set off, along the valley to the far end. "According to the original design, the athletes saw a small mountain bag when they set off to jump, but we turned twenty degrees north in the design, so that what we saw was the Great Wall. It is expected that the Great Wall can generate a spiritual traction for athletes. Athletes can jump with such a mood of flying towards the Great Wall. Zhang Li, dean of the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University and chief planner of the Zhangjiakou Division of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, said.

The Beijing Winter Olympics will witness the development of the country and contribute more and more to the world

No need to enter the password, scan the code to pay the digital yuan, can adjust the angle of the smart bed... At the Beijing Winter Olympics, these smart experiences were refreshing, the service guarantee ideas were amazing, and Chinese and foreign athletes and journalists shared their novel experiences on social media.

The Winter Olympics is a world window to showcase China's development. Some foreign media praised that the Beijing Winter Olympics will show the face of modern China. "China is different and more confident."

Bach also praised China's tremendous development over the years. "In the preparations for the 2008 Olympics, you may sometimes feel nervous and uncertain. Now, China has achieved tremendous development and changes, and has a pivotal position in the world in science and technology, culture, business, politics, sports and other aspects. ”

The preparation for the Winter Olympics is a systematic project and a comprehensive examination paper for national strength.

With the development and progress of China, today's Chinese athletes will have the opportunity to stand on the Olympic field at their doorstep, and the training venues and equipment used are becoming more and more advanced.

In 1963, a young man in his early twenties won the men's 1500m at the World Speed Skating Championships in Japan, becoming China's first speed skating world champion. He is Luo Zhihuan. In those days, speed skating training was done outdoors. Every day at four o'clock, Luo Zhihuan would brave the cold and train on natural ice, sometimes the ice would break and fall into the cold water. Behind the gold medal, the efforts of the older generation of athletes are really unimaginable to ordinary people.

The Beijing Winter Olympics will promote "Made in China" to strengthen research and development and enhance the scientific and technological content of products. Driven by ice and snow consumption, sports manufacturing enterprises continue to explore new materials and new technologies, and have launched a series of ice and snow equipment that meet international standards.

From relying on overseas import manufacturing to independent research and development, the technology of the competition uniforms of the advantage projects of the China Winter Olympics has achieved great breakthroughs, and the competition uniforms made are leading the world in lightweight, anti-cutting, and wind resistance. Chen Jinxing, director of the professional equipment department of the professional sports group of ANTA Group, introduced that in the design of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics competition uniforms, the team members upgraded the technology, reduced the weight of the clothing with three-dimensional cutting, used aerodynamic principles to reduce the wind resistance of the clothing through the design of similar golf surfaces, and ensured the safety of athletes with the latest 360-degree full-body anti-cutting technology.

As of November 2021, the Beijing Winter Olympics have launched 80 key projects. Since the launch of the special project, around the venues, operation, command, security, medical, meteorology, transportation, broadcasting and other key scenarios, 112 new technology achievements of 37 projects have been applied in the test match, and will serve the Operation of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Driven by the Beijing Winter Olympics, many foreign-funded enterprises are optimistic about China's ice and snow sports market, and are catching up on the "express train" of China's ice and snow sports development, opening up the high-end market and driving China's domestic brands to accelerate their layout and transformation and upgrading. In September 2021, the well-known Swedish sports fashion brand "Peak Performance" officially entered the Chinese market and opened the official flagship store of Tmall; the American outdoor goods company Diamond opened its first store in Beijing in November 2021. Austrian ski brand Hyde and others have also announced their entry into the Chinese ski market.

According to the "Research Report on the Development of China's Ice and Snow Industry (2021)", from 2015 to 2020, the total scale of China's ice and snow industry has increased from 270 billion yuan to 600 billion yuan. According to the "Ice and Snow Sports Development Plan (2016-2025)", by 2025, this figure will reach 1 trillion yuan.

Li Yanli, a professor at Beijing Sport University, said that the preparation of the Beijing Winter Olympics has gradually implemented supporting measures in related fields, providing a high-quality business environment for all kinds of enterprises that want to devote themselves to the sports industry and support the development of sports, and bringing more investment confidence. The encounter between diversified investment channels and fiery public ice and snow enthusiasm is bound to collide with the spark of passion in the Beijing Winter Olympics cycle, promote economic and trade development, and achieve high-quality development of the ice and snow industry.

Zhou Qingjie, director of the Research Center for Sports Foreign Exchanges of the China Foreign Affairs University, believes that the Beijing Winter Olympics have accumulated experience and set an example for how countries around the world can successfully hold major international sports events, carry out international sports more widely among the people, and how to coordinate with domestic and international parties to prevent and control the epidemic, and have established confidence in how the world can control and even eventually defeat the epidemic, and also set a model for how to promote the international development of cities and regionalized coordinated development through the Olympic Movement.

As one of the three competition areas of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Beijing Yanqing District has vigorously developed the characteristic cultural and sports tourism industry and successfully created a national all-area tourism demonstration zone. From 2016 to 2020, the tourism revenue reached 32.3 billion yuan, an increase of 30.3% year-on-year. It has formed an external transportation network of 3 high-speed, 1 high-speed railway and 1 suburban railway.

"City of Sports" - Zhangjiakou ice and snow economy and green industry to stimulate employment, help poverty alleviation, 12 poverty-stricken counties, 1970 poor villages, 939,000 poor people all out of poverty. By the end of 2020, there will be 29 snow fields in Zhangjiakou Ice Rink, and the snow season will end in 2020-2021, and the cumulative number of people participating in ice and snow sports will exceed 5 million. Infrastructure construction has been accelerated and upgraded, and Zhangjiakou has fully entered the era of high-speed rail.