Six months ago, winter sports enthusiasts around the world laid eyes on the breathtaking Shougang Big Air, the site for the freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Since the games ended, this venue has become a popular venue for sports among the city's residents. Hundreds of families gathered here for a running competition.

Beijing is the only city that has hosted both Winter and Summer Olympics. This has played an important role in promoting the development of urban sports in the Chinese capital.

"Just look at the huge structure of Big Air Shougang. It's really impressive," said Xing Guohua, a Beijing resident who came to participate in the annual Cross-Country Orienteering of the city.

Many people are here because of the Winter Olympics. The Shougang Big Air is the only competition venue in the central urban area of Beijing. Its design is inspired by the "flying Apsaras" in the Dunhuang murals in China. The shape of the ribbons flying in the air is very consistent with the curve of the big jumping curve.

This stadium for snow sports located in an urban area will be permanently reserved and is of great significance to Beijing.

"It is not only a sports venue, but also a cultural image of a city," said Zhou Ting, architect of the planning and design department of Beijing Shougang Construction Investment Co., Ltd. As she explained, in addition to the requirements for venues and snow-making, the promotion of free style skiing is another important reason why FIS decided to put the platform in Shougang Park, Shijingshan District, Beijing. "The higher the accessibility, the more people are willing to watch it, which will increase the public awareness of the sport."

"I've watched the Winter Olympics a lot, and this is a very nice place. Many of my friends became interested in skiing because of the Winter Olympics," said Yang Haoye, a sports university graduate.

Shougang Park used to be a steelworks complex until manufacturing operations were moved out of Beijing in 2010. When the Chinese capital won the bid to host the winter games in 2015, the park hosted the offices of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and plans were underway to repurpose the sprawling venue.

"It's not just a place for sports. We can support business activities such as shows and exhibitions. We have stages and audience stands. It's a good location for large-scale activities," said Liu Qi, who joined the Shougang Park Sports Center after participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics as a national technical official.

Shougang Park officials hope to host other international competitions and yearly events.

"The International Ski Federation is very fond of the Big Air Shougang. It will be the most ideal place for freestyle skiing competitions whether it's the world cup or world championships. We will also hold Snow and ice Carnivals on annual basis," said Hang Dong, director of the marketing department of Shougang Park Sports Center.