Beijing 2022 unveils plan for after-games utilization of sports venues

The 2022 Beijing Winter Games is striving to work out a solution to make sure win-win development between the Olympic Games and host cities, according to a legacy plan released recently.

The plan, called the "Strategic Plan for the Heritage of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games", aims to help host cities incorporate lasting benefits before, during and after the Games.

As a city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, Beijing has rich Olympic legacies, especially in venue and infrastructure construction, Liu Yumin, director the planning and construction department of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, said on Feb.19 when the legacy plan was released.

Beijing 2022 will make maximum use of the venues and facilities for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Liu introduced, adding that there are 13 competition and non-competition venues in Beijing, of which 11 were previously used by the 2008 Games.

An “eco-friendly event” was set as the core design concept when building the Yanqing zone located on Xiaohaituo mountain in northern outskirt of Beijing, which will have five venues for alpine skiing, sleighing and luge, Liu said.

Upon completion, Yanqing Zone will be turned into a world-class ski competition center and a leisure winter sports resort for the public. Facilities of three venues in the Yanqing zone will be reused after the games, he added.

According to its post-2022 plan, the alpine skiing center will be the venue for training of the Chinese national team and other domestic and foreign professional teams, as well as for hosting international events.

The sleighing center will be opened to the public and host mass tourism activities, and Winter Olympic village will be transformed into a hot spring resort. Many ski trails will be built in Yanqing to attract more public participation.

Sustainability is given more weight by Beijing 2022, which can be revealed by its measures in ecological environmental protection and in utilization of the venues after the Games.

After collecting the suggestions of top experts, the organizing committee has  formulated a set of green standards for the evaluation of winter sports venues in Beijing and Hebei.

The standards are the first of the kind in China, and some of them are even the first in the world. In addition, the competition area of the Winter Olympics will be fully powered by green energy, the first in the Olympic history.

Source: People’s Daily

Photo shows the Yanqing Winter Olympic Village, which is currently under construction. The village serves as the core area where major competitions will be held during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Photo from CFP)