Beijing, 13 Feb (Xinhua) -- Responding to climate change without hindering enthusiasm for the Winter Olympics - What I saw in the snow at the Beijing Winter Olympics
Xinhua News Agency
On the night of the 12th, snow began to fall in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the three divisions of the Beijing Winter Olympics were affected. The three divisions issued forecasts in advance and responded quickly to weather changes. In the field, the athletes and coaches did not lose their competitive spirit, and they also enjoyed a different kind of happiness in the snow.
Weather services stand the test of snowfall
At four o'clock in the morning of the 13th, Shi Shaoying, deputy head of the meteorological service team of the Yanqing Division of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, got up. Throughout the day, she and her team were constantly providing up-to-date weather forecasts for alpine skiing competitions.
The picture shows When Shaoying is working
"Today's snowfall trend, as the forecast says, turns smaller around two o'clock in the afternoon." Jenny Videk, director of news and communications at the International Snow Federation, praised the work of Shi Shaoying's team, "We just used this time to urgently clear the slopes, so although the afternoon game was postponed for more than an hour, it was not rescheduled." ”。
It is understood that in the core area of the Winter Olympic Mountain Arena, the "Beijing Ruitu" numerical forecasting model system with a resolution of 100 meters and rapid update of 10 minutes has been put into practice. On the 13th, the organization of the snow sports event, which was most directly affected by the change in weather conditions, withstood the test, and the schedule was adjusted to varying degrees by each division. The second official training for women's downhill in alpine skiing was cancelled, but the men's giant slalom event with a relatively short race route was completed; cross-country skiing and Nordic biathlon in Zhangjiakou were carried out normally in the snow; and the freestyle ski women's slope obstacle course qualification was postponed due to poor visibility.
"As early as February 4, the meteorological department already had a forecast for this round of snowfall, and two days ago, the time and magnitude of the snowfall in each venue were basically determined, and the weather warning information was issued in advance." Yang Shu'an, vice chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, introduced that in terms of transportation, catering, venues, etc., the relevant departments of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, the territorial government, and the mountain operation team will also jointly provide guarantee services for the athletes to participate smoothly and the work of various stakeholders.
Event guarantee responds quickly
After the snowfall, in order to ensure the smooth traffic routes in the competition area, snow plowing and ice removal have become an important task. Beijing Sanitation Group launched an emergency plan in the three competition areas, and dispatched snow removal tools such as crawler-type multi-purpose snow removal vehicles to ensure that there was no snow and ice around the Winter Olympic venues and the highway connection line.
In terms of power supply, the National Cross-Country SkiIng Center has replaced the traditional manual line patrol with a power operation support command platform. Huo Dawei, power manager of the center, said that when extreme weather comes, the system can monitor the status of the venue's electrical equipment in real time and eliminate hidden dangers in time.
The picture shows the power supply team in the core area of Zhangjiakou Racing Area conducting equipment inspection
Snowfall poses a challenge for racing snow. According to the regulations of the International Snow Federation, after snowfall, the competition venue needs to clean up the natural snow to ensure the snow quality of the ice-like snow track.
The reporter learned that the track leveling personnel of the "Snow Flying Swallow" set off on the mountain in the early morning of the 13th, some of them used their feet to step on the snowboard and slide down to clean up the floating snow, and some carried shovels up the mountain to shovel snow. The natural snow floated on the original icy snow of the track, making the sliding extremely difficult, and many professional coaches from the level staff could not stop the car on the steep slope and fell, but still overcame the difficulties to clear the slope to meet the requirements of the race, and the race was completed on the 13th.
"I know those staff were clearing the snow all night and they were amazing." Norwegian athlete Attler Lee McGrath said.
Some indoor competitions also make plans for snowy weather. On the evening of the 13th, the Capital Gymnasium held a number of short track speed skating competitions. Yao Wenli, deputy director of the media, said that the staff began to clear snow and ice in areas such as the media drop-off area at 9 o'clock in the morning, and laid anti-skid blankets at the entrance of the media workshop. Part of the route to the mixed mining area is outdoors, and volunteers are also arranged to help media workers.
Heavy snow did not hinder the enthusiasm of the Winter Olympics
Snowfall brings some trouble on the one hand, and on the other hand, it also brings joy in winter. The stand volunteers of "Snow Flying Swallow" piled up a "snow pier" with snow at the entrance of the audience, which was cute and annoying. Between the noon games, some foreign reporters also had a snowball fight with volunteers. Of course, the two sides have practiced the spirit of "more unity" in the Olympic motto well, and have not won or lost.
The difficult weather conditions have inspired some athletes. The Russian Olympic Committee team won the men's 4X10 km relay championship in cross-country skiing on the same day, and team member Alexander Bolisshunov said: "The more weather like this, the more difficult it is, the more favorable it is for us. We can show our strength to the fullest, so we are very excited about the game. ”
Chinese athletes Zhang Yangming and Xu Mingfu braved the snow in the men's slalom of alpine skiing on the 13th. After the game, Zhang Yangming said bluntly that although there is still a big gap between himself and the world's top athletes, he enjoys the feeling of fighting with athletes from all over the world (region) in the snow.
"Had a lot of fun and played to your level." Zhang Yangming said after the game, "For the athletes who are here today, this is a very normal weather. When we train in Austria, we often have this snow or fog for seven or eight days in a row, but as long as the visibility is OK, everyone will train as usual. He said that no matter the wind and snow, he will come up with the best state.
China's Xu Mingfu (left) and Zhang Yangming pose for a group photo after the men's giant slalom race on alpine skiing on Feb. 13. Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhen took photos
The performance of the athletes in crossing the snow to the finish line also touched many people who watched the race. Shawar Keshavan, a member of the Indian delegation and a six-time Winter Olympics player, came to the Snow Flying Swallow to watch the match of compatriot Arif Mohd Khan. "I'm proud of him, and I'm proud of all the athletes, and we're sure to inspire more people to get involved in winter sports." Keshavan said. (Written by: Wang Qinou; Participating reporters: Ni Yuanjin, Xia Zilin, Luo Xin, Wang Yong, Liu Yangtao, Lu Xianting, Zhang Shuo, Guo Yaru, Yang Fan, Sun Zhe, Le Wenwan, Zhao Xuetong)