Li Shengxin, deputy dean and professor of the School of Management of Beijing Sport University.Photo courtesy of the interviewee
It has been more than four months since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics ended. Focusing on the “post-Winter Olympics” era, how to make good use of the long-tail effect of the Winter Olympics and improve the comprehensive utilization value of many Winter Olympics venues has become a concern of all walks of life. focus.
Li Shengxin, deputy dean and professor of the School of Management of Beijing Sports University, said in an interview with a reporter from the Beijing News that throughout the history of the development of the Olympic Games, there are many difficulties and pain points in the post-match utilization of competition venues. However, judging from the experience activities carried out at the Beijing Winter Olympics venues such as the “Ice Ribbon”, “Ice Cube” and the Capital Gymnasium in the early stage, the public’s demand for contacting winter sports and entering the Olympic venues is widespread. Making good use of the Winter Olympics venues is of great significance for carrying out national fitness and promoting the sustainable development of ice and snow sports in China.
There are “four uses” in the stadium after the game
As an important heritage of the Olympic Games, the Olympic venues are not only the venue resources left by the Olympic Games, but also contain the historical memory of holding major sports events. They are also an important platform for the masses to participate in the Olympic Games and inherit the Olympic spirit. metaphor.
Li Shengxin said that the reason for strengthening the comprehensive utilization of the Winter Olympic venues after the games can be considered from three perspectives.
The first is to give back the sports function of the stadium to the general public. The Winter Olympics venues are of high standard and complete facilities, and making good use of the venues after the competition not only enriches the urban sports facilities, but also improves the functional layout of the city.
Second, is the need to achieve sustainable development. It is mentioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development issued by the United Nations that sports are an important driving force for sustainable development. The post-competition utilization of Olympic venues is not only a manifestation of the sustainable development of the Olympic Games, but also an important manifestation of the host country and host city’s implementation of sustainable development policies and innovative sustainable management models.
Furthermore, when bidding for the Winter Olympics, countries and cities have made plans for the future of the venues. From this point of view, the rational use of venues after the game is also a manifestation of fulfilling the promises made during the bid and the ability to implement planning.
Based on these points, Li Shengxin believes that the post-match utilization of the Winter Olympics venues is inevitable. “Of course, each country may consider several aspects, or may focus on a certain aspect. But whether it is a permanent or a temporary venue, There must be sustainability, not only to meet the current development, but also to plan for the future development, which is an eternal theme.”
Throughout the previous Winter Olympics, there are four main ways to use the venues after the game. Li Shengxin summarized them as “four uses” – “civilian”, “military”, “commercial” and “useless”.
The so-called “civil use” refers to integrating the venues into the city, providing public sports services for communities, citizens, clubs, etc., and making the Olympic venues accessible to everyone. A high-level competitive sports training base that provides services for sports teams from all over the world, especially the national team; “commercial” refers to the construction of venues, through functional transformation, transformation and upgrading, into a multi-functional complex integrating sports, business, leisure and vacation, and conferences. “Useless” is not really useless, but refers to the return of the function of the venue.
For the fourth most difficult to understand use, he gave an example: “In the history of the Olympic Games, many countries will build some non-permanent venues. Generally, after the Olympics, it will return to its original function. For example, London During the Olympics, the equestrian base built in Greenwich Park was demolished after the game and turned back to green space.”
Three difficulties to consider
In the process of promoting the comprehensive utilization of the Winter Olympic venues after the competition, difficulties and pain points will definitely exist. Li Shengxin said that in general, there are many challenges in the process of using Olympic venues after the game. The high cost of venue operation and maintenance, the over-specialization of the project venue itself, the poor continuity of operations, and the lack of talent protection are all frequent problems.
In this regard, he also cited several examples. For example, some Olympic venues have high specifications and complete facilities. If they are directly used for “civil use”, the operation and maintenance costs are very high, which will make it very difficult to open the venues. If the renovation is carried out, in addition to the difficulty of the project itself, it will further increase the cost. For projects like steel frame sleds, which are highly professional and not very popular, relatively speaking, it will be more difficult to use the venues after the game. In addition, many Winter Olympic venues are highly open, especially snow sports, which mostly rely on mountains and are greatly affected by natural conditions such as weather. How to maintain a large long-term flow of people and ensure the long-term benefits of the venue is not a small challenge.
The last problem is the talent security of large stadiums. During the Olympic Games, considering the needs of the project, special funds can be used to hire teams or transfer talents. After the game, these professional talents generally turn to other game tasks or return to the original department, so that there may be an embarrassing situation where there are venues but no one.
However, many of these issues have been considered before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are held or even bid for.
In this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, a lot of land, venues, facilities, etc. are the use of the “legacy” of the previous Beijing Asian Games and Beijing Olympic Games. “When bidding for the Winter Olympics, on July 31, 2015, one of the most important reasons for us to impress the International Olympic Committee was that we did not seek perfection. The pre-planning of the Beijing Winter Olympics was done very well, including the selection of Zhangjiakou. The ancient poplar stadium group and the Genting Ski Park have saved a lot of costs.”
Referring to the application experience of Winter Olympic venues in other countries, the Beijing Winter Olympics has also made some active explorations in the use of venues after the game.
“In the recent Winter Olympics, China has referenced some good practices, and even done better than them. For example, the National Speed Skating Stadium, which is a newly built venue during the Beijing Winter Olympics, it can be used for professional teams. Training services can also serve large-scale events. For example, venues such as Wukesong can realize the transition between winter and summer.” Li Shengxin said.
The value of the Winter Olympics resonates
In this year’s Winter Olympics, the Chinese delegation won a total of 9 golds, 4 silvers and 2 bronzes, with the number of gold medals and medals hitting a record high.
Playing the “championship effect” is extremely helpful for the comprehensive utilization of the venues after the game. Li Shengxin gave an example: “When you arrive at the Shougang Ski Jump, everyone will think that Su Yiming won the gold medal here; when you arrive at the Genting Ski Park, you will think that Gu Ailing won the gold here. These ‘golden moments’ are hugely attractive to the public. For the venues, telling the stories behind the medals is of great benefit to the post-match utilization of the venues and the development of intangible assets.
After the Beijing Winter Olympics, during the opening of the National Aquatics Center “Ice Cube”, Li Shengxin also brought his children into the venue to experience curling. Seeing the enthusiastic public response to the opening of the venue, he believes that this is a very good signal.
Li Shengxin pointed out that many Beijing residents are not unfamiliar with venues such as the “Bird’s Nest”. After the Winter Olympics, the reason why everyone wants to enter the venues is that they pay more attention to the value conveyed by the Winter Olympics, which resonates with people. . Another aspect is that through the competition, everyone feels the positive power brought by sports. “I think this is a very good signal. As the epidemic improves, more and more people will enter the venues. It may be the Winter Olympics venues, it may be the Summer Olympics venues, or even ordinary stadiums and training bases. I personally think that the public’s demand for professional sports venues is widespread, but at present this demand has not been met, but is in a suppressed state, and this market may usher in a blowout in the future.”
Conversely, grasping the post-competition development and utilization of Winter Olympic venues will also play a role in promoting the development of ice and snow sports in China and promoting national fitness.
The scarcity of ice and snow sports venues is a major constraint for primary and secondary schools to carry out ice and snow projects. With the development and utilization of Winter Olympic venues after the competition, more schools and clubs can go to Winter Olympic venues or supporting venues for training and competition. The future development of ice and snow projects is a huge help.
Li Shengxin said: “We will say the simplest, as long as this generation of children can be exposed to ice and snow sports, so that they can participate in ice and snow sports, which can affect at least three or even five generations. Therefore, the Winter Olympic venues can be well developed and utilized after the competition. , if ice and snow sports and various summer sports can continue to be carried out, it will also be a huge boost to national fitness.”