A barrier-free "city of dual Olympics" awaits the opening of the Winter Paralympics
【Beijing Winter Paralympics here we come】
On March 4, the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics will be grandly opened, and the world's attention will once again focus on Beijing.
Disabled athletes from 49 countries and regions in the world will work hard, chase their dreams, and witness the glory of the competition on the ice and snow stadiums in Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
After the closing of the Beijing Winter Olympics, all Paralympic venues will enter a transition period immediately, with one venue serving dual purposes.
The Winter Paralympic Games have their own particularities. The requirements from competition venues to athletes' restaurants and transportation are different from those of the Winter Olympic Games; the facilities and services need to be converted, so as to provide the Winter Paralympic athletes from all over the world with different requirements. Come for a wonderful "barrier-free experience".
The reporter learned from the Beijing Winter Olympics (Winter Paralympic Games) Organizing Committee that at present, the five competition venues of the Winter Paralympic Games, as well as the three non-competitive venues such as the Winter Paralympic Village, the National Stadium, and the Yanqing Awards Plaza are barrier-free. Facility construction has been completed.
According to Peng Sitian, Director of the Accessibility Coordination Office of the Paralympic Department of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, a safe, smooth and "warm" barrier-free environment needs to be created inside and outside the venues to meet the needs of various customer groups such as athletes and spectators.
Create a safe, smooth and warm barrier-free environment
The "Ice Cube", which successfully hosted the Winter Olympics curling competition just a week ago, will hold wheelchair curling competitions during the Winter Paralympics.
As early as three months ago in the "Meet in Beijing" Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games, the reporter saw that Gate 4 of the North Square of the "Ice Cube" is a dedicated passage for athletes to enter and exit. The zig-zag, 80-meter-long barrier-free passage leads directly to the ice rink, and it is wide enough to accommodate two wheelchairs.
A rounded corner guard is added to the protruding steps of the passage to prevent the handicapped from bumping when passing.
The bathrooms here all use electric doors, 1 meter wide, and there are voice broadcasts at the same time.
The mirror is designed with a tilt angle, which is convenient for wheelchair athletes.
Taking into account the special requirements of disabled athletes such as changing clothes, "Ice Cube" specially remodeled 10 container-style locker rooms for disabled people. In order to match the leveling in and out of wheelchairs, automatic doors are installed in relevant areas.
Inside the locker room, there are toilets, sinks, and showers. They are simple and easy to use, and players will experience warm service during the game.
The National Stadium ("Sail of Ice") will host Paralympic ice hockey in a few days.
The specifications of the ice hockey venues in the Winter Paralympics are exactly the same as those in the Winter Olympics. However, due to the different competition methods of the players, there are many details of venue facilities that need to be adjusted, and venue conversion is very important.
Ge Yuanpeng, the coordinator of the ice hockey project at the National Gymnasium, introduced to reporters that the hardware adjustments of the arena include the adjustment of the board wall, the ice surface and the laying of artificial ice boards.
According to reports, taking into account the actual situation of the contestants, from the athlete's locker room to the competition venue, the entrance door, the athlete's seat and the penalty box in the arena have been remodeled to facilitate the free entry and exit of the athletes on the sled.
The National Alpine Skiing Center in the Yanqing Division will host the Winter Paralympic Alpine Skiing events, with a height difference of about 900 meters. Four sets of platforms will be built according to the mountain situation. These platforms will be connected by barrier-free elevators and road systems to reduce mountain buildings for the disabled. The inconvenience caused; 18 barrier-free toilets, 19 barrier-free elevators, and 11 ropeways have been added here, of which the car-type cable car can be used by wheelchairs, and the chair-type cable car can be used by athletes with disabilities wearing skis. And built a tow ropeway specially used for the Winter Paralympic Games.
Temporary ramps are also set up here to deal with height differences caused by snowmaking.
In front of the doping test station at the end of the alpine ski race, the staff specially built a barrier-free passage.
At the end of the track, a boardwalk was built on the snow, with a layer of anti-skid pads on it, which is very stable to walk on.
“These are all designed to allow athletes to travel without barriers. In fact, from the moment athletes arrive at the Winter Paralympic Village, we want to create an environment for them to move smoothly in any situation. Liu Jie, the Paralympic integration manager of the venue operation team of the National Alpine Ski Center, told reporters, "This reflects an important concept of our competition - humanization. We hope to try not to use external forces such as human lifts to help disabled athletes move, but Strive for an inclusive environment where they can move on their own strengths, with equality and respect."
Ubiquitous humanistic care
As the competition draws near, many athletes from each delegation have arrived in the competition area and started training before the competition.
Chinese player Zhu Daqing has started training.
She said: "The barrier-free facilities here are very good. I took the cable car all the way from the Winter Paralympic Village to the top of the mountain. The seat of the cable car has a heating function, which is very comfortable. It can be in such a good venue and service conditions in my country. The game, I feel very lucky, and it also inspired me to fight hard."
As the "temporary home" of the athletes, the three Winter Paralympic Villages reflect the humanistic care of the hosts everywhere.
Among them, the Beijing Winter Paralympic Village will open 9 apartment buildings that fully meet the needs of accessibility to receive athletes and team officials.
In order to make everyone live comfortably, the Paralympic rooms are equipped with complete barrier-free facilities. The interior doors are sliding doors with handles. Switches, sockets, mirrors, window handles, etc. are also designed in low positions. The emergency button is located on the bedside table. In the conspicuous place above, in case of emergency, you can call with one key, and the information can go directly to the central control room.
During the transition from the Winter Olympics to the Winter Paralympics, the foot of each bed will be lowered.
The floor of the barrier-free toilet is non-slip, and the toilet is equipped with safety grab bars on both sides.
Nikki, coach of the Dutch disabled alpine ski team, said: "The hardware facilities and barrier-free facilities here are the best in the Paralympic Winter Games I have ever participated in! The Chinese organizers have done a great job of hosting the Paralympic Winter Games. Very thorough and excellent preparation."
In addition, during the competition, while further consolidating the epidemic prevention and control mechanism, each venue will adjust and improve the overall epidemic prevention and control plan and sub-plans in various fields according to the characteristics of the Winter Paralympics and the special needs of the disabled. Develop targeted prevention and control measures for personnel who provide services at close range, close contacts, and those who apply for mask-free medical reasons, etc., not only focus on the implementation of key prevention and control tasks, resolutely adhere to the bottom line of epidemic prevention and control, but also ensure safety and meticulousness. , Thoughtful humanized service experience.
(Reporter Wang Dong of this newspaper)