With its stunning Olympic makeover almost complete, Zhangjiakou's mountain area promises to be a winter wonderland during the 2022 Olympics and beyond.
National Ski Jumping Center, one of the newly built Chongli facilities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, is nearly completed and the construction is in the last stage. The center will be the venue for the ski jumping competition of the 2022 Winter Games. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]
Back in 2015 when Beijing was awarded the Games, Zhangjiakou's Chongli district was already a burgeoning ski-resort cluster. Now, with Olympic venues taking shape, the 2022 co-host can truly consider itself a world-class winter sports destination.
As a highlight of Zhangjiakou's preparations for the Games, the completion of the new National Ski Jumping Center, built halfway up the mountains in the Guyangshu area, has impressed visitors from home and abroad with its spectacular architectural design and post-Games plans for tourism operation.
Featuring two different-sized slopes and located around 1,750 meters above sea level, the center's S-type curve resembles the shape of a jade Ruyi scepter, a traditional Chinese ceremonial object－earning it the nickname "Snow Ruyi".
About 40 meters above the ramps, a circular lounge has been built on the mountain peak, which will provide a unique top-down viewing experience for spectators during the Games. After 2022, the lounge will open to the public for sightseeing, leisure and conference functions.
National Ski Jumping Center, one of the newly built Chongli facilities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, is nearly completed and the construction is in the last stage. The center will be the venue for the ski jumping competition of the 2022 Winter Games. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]
Even with ski jumping still a niche discipline in China, stakeholders are confident that the hard work to build the highly technical facility will pay off beyond the Olympics.
"It was really a big challenge to build such a facility as the first of its kind in our country," said Ma Long, vice-general manager of Zhangjiakou Aoti Construction and Development Co Ltd.
"We had no clue at all on how construction could be done on such a steep mountain hill on high altitude and to adhere to strict international standards. We are so proud of our work and excited to see that we pulled it off."
Zhang Li, chief designer of the center and a professor of architecture with Tsinghua University, said the mountain-top lounge has set "Snow Ruyi" apart from other ski jumping facilities in the world.
"It will offer fans the chance to watch the action from an angle that has never before been seen in the history of the Olympics," said Zhang.
"The multi-functional space in the lounge will provide plenty of options for post-Olympic use of the venue, while the open ground of the landing area surrounded by spectator seats could be used for music concerts or even hosting some summer sports."
National Ski Jumping Center, one of the newly built Chongli facilities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, is nearly completed and the construction is in the last stage. The center will be the venue for the ski jumping competition of the 2022 Winter Games. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]
Jump up in class
To date, China's sole representative in ski jumping at an Olympics is Chang Xinyue, who finished 20th in the women's normal hill competition at the 2018 Games in South Korea.
China's ski jumping team is currently training at a nearby high-performance base in Hebei province, and is expected to move to the new center as early as next month for an intensive training program designed to clinch Olympic qualification spots and possibly even put some athletes in contention for top-eight finishes at the home Games.
With interior decoration almost done, the ski jumping center was officially unveiled to the public on Monday night when Hebei sports bureau hosted an opening ceremony for the province's second annual winter sports games and carnival.
The completion of the center heralds the readiness of all four 2022 competition venues in the Zhangjiakou area, which also include the newly built National Cross-Country Skiing Center, the National Biathlon Center and the existing Genting Resort for freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
The snow sports co-host has been linked to downtown Beijing by a high-speed railway, which started operation at the end of 2019 and cuts travel time between the two zones from three hours by car to 50 minutes on the train.
However, the international debut of the new cluster has been put on hold following the cancelation and delay of a series of International Ski Federation World Cup meets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite these difficulties, an FIS delegation comprised of 27 technical experts and event directors visited Zhangjiakou for a venue inspection tour last month and left with positive feedback.
"It was truly impressive to see the jumping hill and cross-country stadium in their finished shape and form," said Lasse Ottesen, race director for the FIS' Nordic combined team.
"We are currently having productive meetings with the local organizing committee which will benefit us greatly for the future test program and Olympic Games to come."
The FIS hailed the visit as the first time all of its disciplines had carried out their technical inspections at the same time.
Despite the cancellation of the official test events, Beijing 2022 organizers are working closely with the International Olympic Committee and winter sports' international governing bodies to draw up replacement testing plans.
As part of the ongoing Hebei winter sports games, a domestic cross-country competition involving both adult and youth teams from cities across the province is taking place at the Olympic cross-country center as an initial test for the course, snow-making and lighting systems.
