The "Ice Jar" comprehensive training center was completed on Wednesday after three years of construction, becoming the first newly-built venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics in the Beijing competition zone this year.

Inspired by curling and built to mimic ice marks left by skate blades, the "Ice Jar" is designed to improve the national team's training and competition facilities.

Fang Shipeng, project leader of the construction unit, said the venue has two international standard ice rinks that can be used for short track speed skating and curling training.

"The ice rinks adopt two sets of independent transcritical carbon dioxide refrigeration systems to reduce the intermediate cooling procedure, save coolant loss, which greatly reduce the carbon emission compared with the traditional refrigeration method, and improve ice making efficiency and accuracy," Fang said. 

The total construction area is 33,200 square meters, and the main building is 30.15 meters in height. There are six floors above the ground, one underground level and two underground floors in some parts of the project. 

The two refrigeration systems can substitute for each other, and can also be quickly converted according to the needs of short track speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey, and curling.  

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, construction resumed in mid-February under strict health measures.

After the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the venue will continue to be used as a training base for the Chinese national teams, while opening to the public for fitness purposes.

(With input from Xinhua)