The 24th Winter Olympic Games will kick off in Beijing on February 4, 2022.
The Sports Department of Chinanews.com launched a series of columns "Hundred Questions about Winter Olympics", aimed at popularizing Winter Olympic knowledge, answering hot questions, sharing interesting stories about ice and snow, and helping everyone have a better watching experience during the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The 18th Winter Olympics 100 Questions | How long is a lap of the short track speed skating track?
As the big gold medal player of the Chinese sports delegation in the Winter Olympics, ice fans will not be unfamiliar with short track speed skating. It is also a treasure to talk about world champions such as Yang Yang, Wang Meng and Wu Dajing.
However, the audience may be relatively unfamiliar with the arena under these celebrities.
As we all know, in accordance with the relevant regulations of the IAAF, the length of the runway of a standard semicircular track and field field is 400 meters.
In contrast, the full distance of the track used in short-track speed skating is not an integer.
Data map: Meet the Beijing 2021-22 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup Beijing Station competition at the Beijing Capital Gymnasium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
The circumference of the short track speed skating track is generally 111.12 meters, of which the straight track is 28.85 meters long and the minimum radius of the curve is 8 meters.
The protective pads around the field are made of waterproof materials, which can move naturally and can play a buffering role in the event of an athlete's collision.
The Beijing Winter Olympics uses the latest environmental protection technology to make ice, with a temperature of minus 7 to 8 degrees and a thickness of 3 to 4 cm.
Attentive spectators may notice that 7 black rubber markers are placed on each end of the short track speed skating track.
According to the rules, contestants must slide on the outside of the marker block.
However, when athletes hold their hands on the ice surface in order to maintain their balance, their hands can be placed on the inside of the marker block.
The data picture shows Wu Dajing in the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
According to the length of the track, the starting point of each individual event is therefore different.
The starting points of the 1000-meter, 3000-meter relay, 5000-meter relay, and mixed team relay coincide with the final destination, while the starting points of the 500-meter and 1500-meter competitions are separated by half a circle.
During the Beijing Winter Olympics, all short track speed skating competitions will be held in the Capital Gymnasium. It is the first completed renovation and expansion competition venue project for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Capital Gymnasium, built in 1968, was the first artificial indoor ice rink in China and hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympic volleyball competition.
(Yuechuan)