The Beijing Shougang ski jumping platform lights up. The Shougang Ski Jump is the venue for the Beijing Winter Olympics ski jumping event and the only snow event venue in the Beijing competition area. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
Chinanews client, Beijing, July 31st (Wang Hao) Five years ago today, at the 128th plenary meeting of the International Olympic Committee held in Kuala Lumpur, Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics . Time flies. In the winter two years ago, with the closing of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the Winter Olympics officially entered Beijing time.
However, this year, the new crown pneumonia epidemic has swept the world, the Tokyo Olympics were forced to postpone the holding of the Olympics for one year, and the Beijing Winter Olympics test arrangements were also affected by the epidemic.
The preparations for the Winter Olympics have become a topic of concern to the outside world. What kind of answer sheet will China hand over?
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics mascot "Bingdundun", and the Winter Paralympics mascot "Xuerongrong".
Summer and Winter in Beijing
In July 2015, the President of the International Olympic Committee Bach announced that the city to be awarded the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics is Beijing. The Chinese audience who saw this scene through the live broadcast may feel a little bit of time and space.
In 2001, also in July, Samaranch, then chairman of the International Olympic Committee, used almost the same pronunciation rhythm to announce that the city that won the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics was Beijing. From that moment on, China finally became associated with the identity of the "host of the Olympic Games", which has been nearly 20 years since then.
Over the past twenty years, the white horse has brought many changes. Just like Beijing, it will soon become the first city in history that has hosted both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.
This is an honor, but also a challenge.
The 128th plenary meeting of the International Olympic Committee held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia voted to make Beijing the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The picture shows the President of the International Olympic Committee Bach (middle) and the Beijing Winter Olympics delegation. Photo by Du Yang issued by China News Service
At the end of 2019, Samaranch, Vice Chairman of the International Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Coordination Committee, came to China and spoke highly of the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics: "They far exceeded their commitments. We are convinced that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be an extraordinary success in the history of the Winter Olympics."
Little Samaranch is the son of the former IOC president Samaranch, who has forged an indissoluble bond with China because of the Olympics.
In 2008, the Beijing Olympic Games, which can be regarded as a grand event, did not disappoint Samaranch, who had given China a lot of support during the Olympic bid; and this time, the Olympic Games will be held from summer to winter. Disappointed the world.
Data map: renderings of the National Snowmobile and Sled Center.
The wonderful transformation of water and ice
In November last year, the "Ice Cube" ice sports center under the South Square of the National Aquatics Center was officially topped off, and it will be used for events during the Winter Olympics.
The name "Ice Cube" is probably not too strange to everyone. In the 2008 Olympic Games, the "Water Cube" and "Bird's Nest" together became an important business card for the city of Beijing. But now, the "water" of summer will form the "ice" of winter.
Represented by the "Ice Cube", the Beijing Winter Olympics venues and other infrastructure are being constructed in an orderly manner.
According to official sources, all new venues in the Beijing competition area will be completed in 2020, and the competition area will be fully equipped for the competition by the end of 2020. The Beijing competition area undertakes all ice competitions in the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, with a total of 22 venue construction projects.
The Shougang Ski Jump is the venue for the Beijing Winter Olympics ski jumping event and the only snow event venue in the Beijing competition area. Photo by Xinshe reporter Tomita
Among them, the Shougang ski jumping platform was completed in October last year and an international competition has been held. The "Ice Cube" realized the conversion of "water ice function" in December last year and hosted domestic competitions. The first comprehensive training hall "Ice Altar" was officially officially launched in May this year. Completed.
As of the beginning of July this year, a total of 50 projects have been completed in 76 Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou, including Zhangjiakou Olympic Logistics Center, Chongli District Domestic Waste Transfer System, Olympic Village Logistics Center, and Chongli Ski First Aid Station. It is reported that the remaining 26 projects under construction will be completed within this year.
Although the new crown pneumonia outbreak this year has caused a certain impact on all walks of life, overall, the construction of Olympic infrastructure is still proceeding smoothly and orderly. Samaranch’s praise for the preparation of the event is not polite—the promise that Beijing made when it bid for the event is gradually being translated into reality.
The construction site of the National Speed Skating Stadium. Photo by China News Agency reporter Han Haidan
The waves caused by the epidemic
In March of this year, in the face of the global epidemic of new crown pneumonia, the Tokyo Olympic Games was officially postponed for one year. The postponed Olympic Games will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
As a result, there was only about half a year between the Tokyo Olympics and the Beijing Winter Olympics, which opened on February 4, 2022. Whether the Beijing Winter Olympics will be affected by it has become a topic of concern to the outside world.
In dealing with this "traffic congestion" issue, the International Olympic Committee still showed confidence. Dolby, the executive director of the International Olympic Committee, believes that the Olympic broadcast service team can directly transport logistics materials and equipment from Tokyo to Beijing, and some technical partners also save the trouble of long-distance transportation.
In the Chuo district of Tokyo, Japan, an electronic screen in an office building that originally displayed the countdown to the Tokyo Olympics was labeled "Adjusting", and the original date of the Olympics below was also blocked.
At present, the International Olympic Committee, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee and the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee have begun to communicate on this to ensure that mutual benefits can be implemented in the future and achieve the effect of "from peak to peak".
However, the epidemic still has a certain impact on the organization of the Beijing Winter Olympics. According to the original regulations, during the 10 to 24 months before the official hosting of each Olympic and Paralympic Games, all competitions must be tested.
The 2019-20 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Yanqing Station competition was originally scheduled to be held at the National Alpine Ski Center in mid-February this year. This is also the first test match of the Beijing Winter Olympics. But affected by the epidemic, the event had to be cancelled. Since then, a series of winter events have been postponed or cancelled due to the epidemic.
Data map: The figure skating show at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was officially held. The picture shows Chinese player Sui Wenjing and Han Cong in a performance skating. Photo by China News Agency reporter Cui Nan
Fortunately, as the domestic epidemic prevention and control situation improves, various sports events have gradually resumed. In the “Scientific and Orderly Restoration of Sports Events and Activities to Promote the Resumption of Work and Production of the Sports Industry” issued by the State General Administration of Sports on July 10, it was pointed out that in principle, no other international sports events and activities will be held in 2020, but the Beijing Winter Olympics Except for important events such as test matches.
Subsequently, the ISU stated that it received confirmation from the Chinese Skating Association that the Figure Skating Grand Prix China Cup and the finals will be held as planned. The finals will be the Winter Olympics test event. In addition, the short track speed skating World Cup, which is also the Winter Olympics test event, will also be held in Beijing at the end of the year.
With the efforts of all parties, the Winter Olympics Test Games is gradually getting rid of the impact of the epidemic and getting back on track.
Preparation for war never slackened
At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the Chinese team won 1 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze, ranking 16th on the medal list. Compared with the Sochi Winter Olympics, although the number of gold medals is two less, the total number of medals remains the same. The 9 medals are distributed in five events: short track speed skating, figure skating, speed skating, freestyle skiing aerials, and snowboarding U-shaped venues. The number of winning projects hit a new high.
On February 23, local time, the Men's 500m Short Track Speed Skating Award Ceremony for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was held in the Pyeongchang Olympic Village. Chinese athlete Wu Dajing, who won the gold medal, took the stage to receive the award.
According to the IOC’s project setting plan, the Beijing Winter Olympics will have 109 small events. Comprehensive participation, comprehensive breakthroughs, and comprehensive driving are the goals of the Chinese delegation in the Beijing Winter Olympics cycle, and athletes are stepping up preparations for this.
For example, short track speed skating, as one of the representative events of winter sports in China, has no slack in the national team. In March, the national team simulated World Championships competition was held, and many famous players played. At the end of April, the short track speed skating and speed skating physical training camp opened. The former head coach of the Chinese women's hockey team Jin Changbo served as the training director.
The 16-year-old ski genius Gu Ailing is already the three gold kings of the World Cup. She will challenge the gold medal on the stage of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Although she had to reduce the number of skiing trips during the epidemic, Gu Ailing has always insisted on doing physical and core training at home.
Gu Ailing celebrated the victory.
In order to test the training results, in the physical fitness competition held on July 27th, 30 national ice and snow events in 12 stadiums in 9 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country gathered in a formation, and the physical fitness competition was carried out simultaneously through video connections.
Qinhuangdao, the 14 teams stationed in training are all gearing up; on the Bashang, speed skating and short track speed skating training camps, and cross-country skiing national training teams are not to be outdone; in the base of Beijing Shougang, figure skating, curling, and women’s ice hockey countries The training team strives for the top...
The sweat left by these winter athletes will, over time, become their strength and skills, will become their confidence to compete for gold and silver in the arena, and will become what they see when the national flag is raised. beautiful memories.
Inside and outside the arena, everyone is working hard for the same goal.
On the 5th anniversary of the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics, when one of the original promises was fulfilled, there is reason to believe that in the winter of 2022, Beijing will once again be in the world like the summer 12 years ago. Watch and bloom! (Finish)