Beijing 2022 marks one-year countdown with sustainable venues

By Zhu Bochen
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, February 9, 2021
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Officials from around the world send their greetings virtually at a ceremony celebrating the start of the one-year countdown for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 4, 2021. [Photo courtesy of the National Aquatics Center]

Now that all competition venues for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games have been completed, China is making steady progress on preparations, said Cai Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, on Feb. 4.

Cai, also the secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, made the comments at the National Aquatics Center during a ceremony celebrating the start of the one-year countdown for Beijing 2022. 

Formally known as the "Water Cube," the National Aquatics Center has been renovated into the "Ice Cube" and will host the curling and wheelchair curling competitions during the games. It is now the largest curling venue in Olympic history.

The National Aquatics Center, which has been renovated for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, holds a ceremony celebrating the start of the one-year countdown for the games on Feb. 4, 2021. [Photo courtesy of the National Aquatics Center]

The center has become a model of the sustainable utilization of Olympic venues. Its curling rinks are the first in the world to be built using recyclable materials above what used to be a swimming pool. Athletes' locker rooms, restrooms, and other barrier-free facilities are built out of containers, which will be available to reuse after the games conclude.

In addition, the building features a temperature management system which can simultaneously meet the temperatures required for both the curling rinks and the auditorium.

The center's conversion works have been highly praised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which awarded it with the 2019 Sport and Sustainable Architecture Prize. 

The National Aquatics Center was once one of the two major venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It was also the only Olympic venue which was invested in by compatriots of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese. It was selected as one of the top 10 miraculous buildings in China by BusinessWeek on Dec. 23, 2005. 

Back in 2008, the center hosted competitions such as swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming. Athletes from around the world set 21 world records within the venue.

The National Aquatics Center wins the 2019 Sport and Sustainable Architecture Prize awarded by the International Olympic Committee. [Photo courtesy of the National Aquatics Center]

By the end of 2020, it had hosted 27 million visitors, held over 1,600 events, and provided swimming pool services for around 2.6 million people. The renovation is a crucial step to fulfilling China's "Green Olympics" initiative by saving additional construction costs and land resources.

Torches designed for the Beijing 2022 also debuted at the ceremony on Feb. 4.

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