China
2023.02.03 15:16 GMT+8

Chart of the Day: A year on, Beijing Olympic legacies reflected in winter sports boom

Updated 2023.02.03 15:16 GMT+8
CGTN

One year after the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, all competition venues are being reused by athletes and the general public, and China's winter sports sector is thriving, with 346 million Chinese engaging in winter sports since 2015.

China was awarded the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics on July 31, 2015, and the Beijing Winter Olympics began on February 4, 2022. Beijing was the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

The Games have created lasting and wide-ranging social and economic benefits for Chinese people. The post-Games legacies include winter sports boom and sustainable venues, according to the legacy and sustainability reports released by Beijing 2022 organizers on Wednesday.

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are the first Olympics that have fully implemented the Olympic Agenda 2020 which requires host cities to minimize new construction to reduce emissions and ensure long-lasting use of any new venues.

Of 12 competition venues, 4 venues were reused from the Olympic Games 2008. All venues have been awarded green building labels and have been powered by renewable energy. All the permanent venues have been reused after the Games.

The National Aquatics Center, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and was turned into an "Ice Cube" to host the Beijing 2022 curling competitions, had more than 3,000 visitors on the first day of its opening, earning it the nickname of "the hottest ice" in Beijing.

The National Speed Skating Oval, which features the largest single-piece ice formation in Asia, was also a popular destination for ice sports fans and amateur skaters during the Spring Festival holiday, with over 1,000 tickets sold per day, according to the venue operators.

In Yanqing District, a 3-kilometer ski trail is now open to amateurs, while more experienced skiers can enjoy the slopes at the National Alpine Skiing Center. In Zhangjiakou City, 30 events are scheduled at the Genting Snow Park, including junior training programs and skiing festivals.

To celebrate the first anniversary of the Beijing 2022 Olympics' grand opening and make better use of all the legacies of the Games, more than 100 activities will be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou starting Saturday.

With the winter sports boom, the scales of winter sports equipment manufacturing and winter leisure tourism are increasing. China's ice and snow market scale is expected to expand to 1 trillion yuan (about $148 billion) in 2025, according to the legacy report.

(Data editor: Yao Nian; Graphics designer: Mukesh Mohanan)

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