According to international practice, major international events basically use artificial snow to ensure the quality of snow. But in the eyes of the crazy "provocative" US media, Vancouver, Sochi and Pingchang Winter Olympics can be used, and the Beijing Winter Olympics can not be used. For a time, words such as "artificial snow is bad", "artificial snow is dangerous", "fake snow" and other words frequently appear in the headlines of major US media.
When the US media used this to smear the Beijing Winter Olympics, many athletes and relevant experts began to fight back. Among them, Australian snowboarder Matt Cox praised Beijing's artificial snow as "wonderful" and "gripping".
Executives at TechnoAlpin snowmaking systems in Italy pointed out that snow machines can produce different types of snow according to the needs of athletes, which natural snow cannot do. The International Ski Federation has also disputed the so-called "dangers of artificial snow", saying that artificial snow can not only ensure safety, but also ensure uniform conditions for all participants. This also means to some extent more equitable.
Observer Network noted that the article published by the US "Time Magazine" on the 8th has withdrawn the original title "Why is the artificial snow in Beijing unfavorable to the Winter Olympics?" Now replaced by Artificial Snow for the 2022 Winter Olympics, what does artificial snow mean for the future of the Winter Olympics? 》。
Before changing the title: Why is artificial snow in Beijing bad for the Winter Olympics?
After the title change: What does artificial snow from the 2022 Winter Olympics mean for the future of the Winter Olympics?
Artificial snow in international practice has become the object of "prick" by the US media
"Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics 'fake snow' is dangerous to humans and the environment",
"The Snow in Beijing Is Man-Made – As the Planet Warms, It's a Resource-Consuming, "Dangerous" Trend",
Why is artificial snow in Beijing bad for the Winter Olympics? 》......
The US media smeared artificial snow at the Beijing Winter Olympics
Recently, some Western politicians and media led by the United States have been frantically "provoking" the Beijing Winter Olympics, and even artificial snow has become a tool for them to try to smear China. Mainstream US media, including CNN and Time Magazine, quoted so-called ecologists and individual athletes as using words such as "fake snow", "dangerous" and "environmental damage" to describe artificial snow in their writing.
After the US media "provoked" one after another, US public opinion was gradually "distorted.". Columbia Television (CBS) in the United States reported on the 9th that recently, artificial snowmaking, which used to be an international practice, has evolved into a "controversial topic" on the occasion of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
In fact, artificial snowmaking is not uncommon in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.
Artificial snow was first used at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics in New York, and has since become an international practice in winter events, according to public information. Winter Olympics such as Vancouver, Sochi and Pyeongchang have also adopted artificial snow in large quantities, with 80% of artificial snow at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and 98% at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Liu Haifeng, deputy mayor of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, and deputy director of the Winter Olympic Office, once said that artificial snowmaking is an important basic work to stabilize the state of the track and ensure that athletes can enjoy fair competition conditions regardless of the order of departure. According to international practice, regardless of the meteorological conditions of the event venue, it is necessary to make the snow track meet the technical specifications of the competitive competition venue through artificial snowmaking.
Image from IC Photo
Multinational athletes and experts came forward to fight back
CNN, Time Magazine and other US media "picking bones in the egg" behavior, really make people can't see it. Recently, a number of athletes and relevant experts have stood up to speak fairly for the Beijing Winter Olympics and began to fight back.
According to Reuters, snowboarders from Australia and New Zealand praised the artificial snow at the Zhangjiakou ski resort before the start of the race.
"This artificial snow is remarkable," commented Zoi Sadowski Synnott, a famous New Zealand snowboarder. Sinot won the gold medal in the women's steeplechase on snowboarding on February 6, winning new Zealand's first Winter Olympic gold medal in the country's history.
Matt Cox, a 23-year-old Australian snowboarder, praised Beijing's artificial snow for being "gripping" very strong. "The cold temperatures here, the snow on the grounds is wonderful (dreamy snow)," he said. ”
In the report on the 9th, CBS specifically mentioned Mikaela Shiffrin, an American skier who lost in two qualifiers. Even with poor results, Schifflin refused to blame the site's artificial snow, instead calling it "incredible."
In response to claims that artificial snow is damaging the environment, Michael Mayr, asia manager of TechnoAlpin snowmaking systems in Italy, also told Time magazine that the composition of mechanical snow is only air and water, and it is not much different from natural snow. He went on to say that the advantage of snowmakers is that different types of snow can be generated according to the needs of athletes, which natural snow cannot do.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) disputed the so-called "dangers of artificial snow". Markus Waldner, chief event director of the FIS Men's Alpine Skiing World Cup, said that not only can safety be guaranteed, but the use of artificial snow can also ensure that the conditions for all participants are uniform.
Shaun Rein, an American who has been doing market research and strategic management consulting in China for more than 20 years, said bluntly on Twitter on February 5 that every article in the US media about the Beijing Winter Olympics must "demonize" artificial snow, which is too double-standard. He wrote: "I remember how awesome the announcers touted artificial snow for the Oslo Olympics. I am disgusted by the coverage of China in most American media. ”
Green, Low Carbon and High Efficiency: The "China Plan" for Winter Olympic Ice and Snow
According to the "Science and Technology Daily" previously reported, snow projects on the climate and venue requirements are very strict, in order to ensure the smooth progress of snow projects, 80%-90% of the winter Olympics competition site snow use artificial snow.
Zhang Haiyang, associate professor at Beijing Institute of Technology, said that the physical characteristics of new snowfall, melted snow that re-condensed after melting, and snow accumulated for a long time under natural conditions are different, which will affect its properties. Artificial snowmaking is more controllable than natural snow, which has more variable physical properties. Artificial snow is squeezed, leveled and filled with water, making it easier to make a race-ready piste.
Adhering to the Olympic concept of "green, sharing, openness and integrity", the Beijing Winter Olympic Games implemented many environmental protection measures in official competitions.
At a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council on January 13, Yan Jiarong, spokesman for the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, said that the artificial snowmaking system of the Beijing Winter Olympics uses the world's most advanced high-efficiency water-saving equipment and intelligent snowmaking system, which can dynamically maintain the best snowmaking efficiency according to the external environment and effectively avoid the waste of water resources. Overall, artificial snowmaking requires limited water and will not have an impact on regional water security and the ecological environment.
Yan Jiarong also stressed that from the perspective of the holding of snow projects around the world, in order to ensure the quality of snow used for competitions, major international events basically use artificial snowmaking. Because compared with natural snow, artificial snow can change the particle size, moisture content and hardness, which is conducive to meeting the needs of different competition venues, and artificial snow is more stable than the characteristics of natural snow, and it is easier to prepare a consistent state of the snow after being pressed, leveled and injected. From the perspective of the competition, such a consistent state of the piste also means to some extent more fair.
"Snowmaking consumes about 20,000 kWh of electricity, and maintenance and snow repair during the race consume about 100,000 kWh. This electricity is 100% supplied by green electricity, which in the past meant burning more than 32 tons of standard coal. Zhang Qing, manager of the State Grid Beijing Electric Power Shijingshan Power Supply Company, said in an interview.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to artificial snow, the Shougang Ski Jump has also been "provoked" and denigrated by some overseas netizens. Not long ago, a well-known American entrepreneur claimed that the photos of the Beijing Winter Olympics jumping platform made him "angry", and called the cooling tower behind the Shougang Ski Jumping "nuclear reactor".
In this regard, Zhao Weidong, spokesman of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, responded on the 10th that this is simply a fantasy and absurdity. "I have also noticed that enthusiastic netizens in many countries have done enough science in the comment area (on social media), for which we are also grateful."
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