Some of the beijing winter olympic games were postponed due to snowfall

(Beijing Winter Olympics) Some events of the Beijing Winter Olympics have been postponed due to snowfall

Zhangjiakou, China News Service, February 13 (Reporter Wang Yu Wang Hao) The Zhangjiakou Division of the Beijing Winter Olympics ushered in snowy weather on the 13th, resulting in the postponement of some competitions. Among them, the freestyle ski women's slope obstacle course qualification competition was postponed to the 14th, and China's Gu Ailing will participate in the competition.

Previously, according to the Central Meteorological Observatory, from February 12 to 13, North China will usher in a wide range of snowfall. Snowfall is dominated by moderate to heavy snowfall, with local blizzards centered in the northern hebei to Beijing-Tianjin region.

According to the reporter's observation, in the early morning of the 13th, the snow in the Yunding Ski Park stadium in Zhangjiakou Racing Area was small and the visibility was high. Athletes competing in the Women's Steeplechase Qualification Tournament for Freestyle Skiing are trained normally on the track. China's Gu Ailing also participated, and prepared and warmed up for the game according to the original plan.

At about nine o'clock, the snow gradually became heavier, and standing on the side of the field could not clearly identify the athletes who were warming up. Subsequently, the official announcement of the event was announced that the qualifiers, which were scheduled to be held at 10 o'clock, were postponed to 12 o'clock. At about 11:00, the schedule was further updated to show that the women's steeplechase qualifiers would not be held that day.

The reporter saw that the U-shaped field and slope obstacle course of Genting Ski Park have been staff clearing snow in the morning. At the same time, the second training of alpine skiing women's downhill in Yanqing Was cancelled, and the second round of alpine skiing men's giant slalom was also marked as "rescheduled" in the official system.

At 12:30, the official announcement of the event was released. The women's steeplechase qualifiers and finals were postponed by one day. The qualifying round will be held from 10:00 to 12:00 on the 14th, and the final will be held from 9:30 to 11:00 on the 15th. In addition, the qualifying rounds and finals for men's slope obstacle course skills will be held on the 15th and 16th respectively.

Yang Shu'an, vice chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, responded at a press conference held on the 13th that the Genting Ski Park track needs to go through snow pressing, shaping and secondary shaping, so the track cannot have too much floating snow. At 5:00 a.m., the Zhangjiakou Division has organized thousands of staff to go to the venue to clean up the floating snow, but because the snow is both large and urgent, it does not meet the visibility requirements, in order to ensure the safety of athletes, the day's competition was postponed.

Yang said the Zhangjiakou division had enough capacity to clear the snow from the track before the start of the next race day.

Most of the snow sports of the Winter Olympics are held in the mountainous areas with complex terrain, and the snow sports are thrilling, and these brave people's competitions require a high degree of accuracy in the weather forecast of the competition area and the venue. For example, for ski jumping, the wind speed cannot be greater than 4 m/s; for alpine skiing, the wind speed must be stable and maintained below 18 m/s.

According to media reports, snow will also have an impact on the track. For example, the addition of snow from snowfall will make the surface of the track soft and the friction increase, which is not conducive to the players. And the low visibility in snowy weather will affect the vision of athletes and referees. For athletes who are sliding at high speeds, any problems with visibility, wind speed and pistes can be life-threatening.

Zhao Weidong, spokesman for the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, previously said that the Beijing Winter Olympics will ensure the normal progress of the event as much as possible under the premise of respecting the laws of nature, and also ensure the safety and health of athletes, staff and volunteers. Venue staff submit the relevant meteorological data to the experts of the International Federation of Individual Sports, who decide whether to change the schedule.

Zhao Weidong said that under extreme weather, the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee will work closely with stakeholders such as the International Olympic Committee, the International Sports Federation, including the Olympic Broadcasting Service Company, to start the relevant procedures for changing the competition schedule in a timely manner to minimize the adverse impact. (End)