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 55th Winter Olympics 100 Questions | What history has the 53-year-old Capital Gymnasium witnessed?
In the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Capital Gymnasium, which is a "double Olympic venue", will become a stage for short-track speed skating and figure skaters.
The Capital Gymnasium has an extremely solid background. In its 53 years, what historical moments have it witnessed?
In the 1960s, Beijing decided to build a number of stadiums. In 1968, the Capital Stadium came into being.
In 2007, Beijing announced the first batch of "Beijing Excellent Modern Architecture Protection List", and the Capital Gymnasium was successfully selected.
The Capital Gymnasium has witnessed the development of sports in New China. It has hosted comprehensive international competitions such as the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, the 2001 World University Games, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
On October 14, the "Meet in Beijing" 2021-2022 Asian Figure Skating Open officially kicked off at the Beijing Capital Gymnasium. The Open has four events and a total of 32 athletes from 9 countries and regions have signed up for the competition.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
In addition, the first body has also witnessed many historic moments in New China.
For example, on April 13, 1971, the Sino-US ping pong friendly match was held at the Capital Gymnasium. The first event witnessed the classic story of "ping pong diplomacy".
In 1973, China hosted the Asia-Africa-Latin America Table Tennis Invitational Tournament. The venue was also the Capital Gymnasium.
In the same year, the first warm-up match of the Chinese and American men's basketball team was also held in the first body.
On April 8, the "Meet in Beijing" ice event test event figure skating competition was held at the Capital Gymnasium in Beijing. This was the first appearance of the stadium after the Winter Olympics renovation.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Capital Gymnasium, which has witnessed many historical moments, will undertake figure skating and short-track speed skating competitions, both of which are China’s advantageous events. Most of the gold medals in the history of the Chinese delegation’s Winter Olympics It was achieved on these two projects.
For the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Capital Gymnasium underwent a 12-month renovation, upgrading audio, video, ice making, and air conditioning systems.
Although the appearance of the Capital Gymnasium is the old one, the interior has been completely renewed, making it more environmentally friendly, more comfortable, and more technological.
(Bian Liqun)