Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 27 Question: Waiting for the curtain to open – Observation of the operation of various venues of the Beijing Winter Olympics
Xinhua News Agency reporter
There are still eight days before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and the work of the venues in the Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou competition areas has entered a sprint stage. The reporter recently visited and found that the arrangement of events in each competition area, media work, epidemic prevention, rescue and other support work are basically ready, waiting for the Winter Olympics to kick off.
The curling field in “Ice Cube”.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liang Jinxiong
The event arrangements are released and the venues are running into the sprint
The Beijing Winter Olympics schedule has been released. In the 19 competition days before and after the opening, 109 gold medals will have their own place.
The first event to start is curling. On the evening of February 2, the National Aquatics Center will usher in four matches in the round-robin stage of the mixed doubles event. The Chinese team will play against the Swiss team. Coincidentally, in the last Winter Olympics, the Chinese team also encountered Switzerland in the first game of this event, but unfortunately lost, and Switzerland finally won the silver medal.
As a rule, all teams, including the host, have no chance of unofficial training. On the morning of the 2nd, “Ice Cube” will welcome the first batch of pre-match training teams. At present, the ice-making work is progressing smoothly, and the four tracks have been basically completed. The reporter saw at the scene that after the pre-ice making, painting, wiring and other constructions, the appearance of the four tracks is no different from that of the race. On the 27th, the venue staff also carried out finishing work such as laying carpets and pasting curling labels. During the game, the curling trajectory will be played simultaneously on the big screen of the stadium to enhance the viewing experience.
According to reports, the “Ice Cube” track was originally planned to meet the competition delivery standards on the 31st, and is expected to meet the standards ahead of schedule.
Several venues have ushered in official pre-match training. The 27th was the first day of the official training at the Capital Gymnasium. Jin Boyang, the third-ranking runner-up of the two-time figure skating world championships, and Zhu Yi, the “Xiaohua”, became the first batch of athletes to train. Jin Boyang repeatedly practiced jumping, spinning and other movements until the 40-minute training time was over.
The interior of the Capital Gymnasium.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Junbao
Other venues in the three divisions have entered the pre-match sprint stage. In the Zhangjiakou competition area, the image and landscape layout of the National Biathlon Center has been basically completed, the starting and finishing gates have been arranged, and all temporary buildings have been finalized. In the Yanqing Division, the National Alpine Ski Center “Xue Feiyan” will also welcome athletes on the 3rd. The men’s downhill event will start its first training on the same day, and Chinese athletes will also make their debut in the focus of this Winter Olympics event.
Media services are in place, high-speed rail and cable cars help commute
Media work is an important way to spread the Olympic spirit and display the style of the host city. The Beijing Winter Olympics set the highest media quota in the history of the Winter Olympics, with a total of more than 10,000 broadcasters, text and photojournalists.
At present, the media centers of all venues in the three competition areas have been completed and will be opened one after another in the near future. “We will prepare small gifts for all reporters who arrive at the venue, which will be some small surprises.” Yang Zhongtuan, the news operation manager of Genting Ski Park, revealed that the media center of the museum will be officially opened on the 30th.
A corner of the National Alpine Ski Center’s competitive finish area.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Qinou
Media volunteers from multiple venues have recently entered training sessions. On the morning of the 27th, the “Xueyoulong” National Snowmobile and Sled Center welcomed the first batch of 440 volunteers, who were selected by 13 units including China Agricultural University. Each business field provides services for eight major customer groups including media reporters. The day before, 62 volunteers in the media operation field had also settled in the National Cross-Country Ski Center.
The mixed interview area is an important area for in-game interviews. The reporter saw at the Capital Gymnasium on the 27th that the staff repeatedly rehearsed the athlete’s exit route and simulated the interview arrangement in the mixed mining area. In Genting Ski Park, the construction of mixed mining areas of multiple tracks is accelerating.
National Cross Country Ski Center mixed mining area.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Wanpeng
“We set up a mixed mining area in strict accordance with the requirements of the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, focusing on the international news agencies recognized by the International Olympic Committee, such as AFP, Associated Press, Reuters, Xinhua News Agency, as well as cover Tee Photos provides high-quality spots.” Yang Zhongtuan said.
The venues for this Winter Olympics are spread across the three competition areas, and the construction of high-speed rail, expressway and other road networks has provided convenience for journalists to transition. On the 21st, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway Winter Olympics train started the transportation service during the competition, which will last until March 16th. It takes 26 minutes, 50 minutes and 65 minutes to reach from Qinghe Station to Yanqing, Prince City and Chongli Stations respectively.
The ropeway system of the National Alpine Ski Center.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xia Zilin
The ropeway system of the National Alpine Ski Center is also operational. The reporter took the cable car up the mountain from Yanqing Winter Olympic Village for two consecutive days, and it took about half an hour to reach the end area of the competitive event at an altitude of about 1,480 meters; the cable car seat also has a heating function. It is understood that the ropeway system consists of 9 aerial ropeways and 2 tow ropeways, with a total length of about 10.3 kilometers, connecting Yanqing Winter Olympic Village (Winter Paralympic Village) and various areas of the National Alpine Ski Center.
Epidemic prevention and rescue on standby and drills to ensure safety
In the face of the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the Beijing Winter Olympics adopted closed-loop management, and Olympic-related personnel did not have contact with social personnel. The reporter saw at the volunteer service training meeting in the media operation field of the National Snowmobile and Sled Center that Peng Weixiang, deputy director of the media, repeatedly asked volunteers to strictly abide by the “Epidemic Prevention Manual”, carry out volunteer service work on the basis of personal epidemic prevention, and must not enter the closed loop. area.
Epidemic prevention materials in the Capital Gymnasium.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Junbao
Epidemic prevention streamlines have been designed in each arena. During the competition, spectators outside the closed loop will be isolated from the areas inside the closed loop, and anti-epidemic materials have been provided. In the Capital Gymnasium, the reporter saw that there is a hand disinfection machine outside the door; after entering the door, the temperature measuring instrument checks the temperature of every person entering the venue; there are masks, disposable gloves and other epidemic prevention available on the table at the door Items; hand sanitizer appears every few steps.
Snow events account for 70% of the Winter Olympics events, and outdoor rescue is another focus of the venue’s work. On the 26th, the National Alpine Ski Center conducted a helicopter rescue drill. Yuan Qiang, chief physician of spine surgery at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital and deputy medical officer of the National Alpine Ski Center, said that at present, the FOP (track rescue) team is ready to be called.
The National Alpine Ski Center FOP team is learning how to use a defibrillator.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xia Zilin
“The oldest of our team is 62 years old, and everyone has the skiing skills to descend from the ice and snow track.” Yuan Qiang said that the team was formed in 2018, and the doctors in the team covered orthopedics, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, Dental and other departments. Once an athlete is injured on the track, the team can rush to the athlete within four minutes to judge and urgently handle their injury, and promptly remove them from the track and send them to a medical station or hospital for treatment. (Note-taking writer: Wang Qinou; participating reporters: Ma Bangjie, Zhang Xiao, Yao Youming, Liu Yangtao, Xia Zilin, Lu Xianting, Wang Junbao, Wang Chunyan, Zhang Han, Zhu Hong, Zhao Xuetong, Le Wenwan, Huang Xinxin, Wang Yan, Zhou Wanpeng, Sun Zhe , Huang Haoran, Yang Fan, Qin Jing, Liang Jinxiong, Tan Chang, Zhang Yueshan, Ma Sijia)
Article source: Xinhua News Agency
Responsible editor: Xu Yamin