High hopes on the slopes

Mountainous region's smooth Olympic preparations builds confidence for Games and beyond

On a snowy spring day, workers get to work with their drills as interior decorating continues apace at the newly constructed National Ski Jumping Center.

With less than a year to go before the start of the Winter Olympics, Chongli, a district of Beijing 2022 co-host city Zhangjiakou in Hebei province, is gaining momentum in its preparations for the Games.

Welcoming the world

At the Genting Snow Park, where freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions will take place during Beijing 2022, skiers are testing their skills on the halfpipe course. The site staged a testing program for Beijing 2022 in February.

"All Genting's pistes are in place. Construction of snowmaking, cable and broadcast lighting systems have also been completed. These infrastructures were tested in February, and overall we think it's been a success," said Wang Baoqi, vice-president of Genting Resort Secret Garden Tourism Development Co. Ltd.

"From now on, we will perfect the reconstruction of these infrastructures, as the layout of some temporary structures will not be the same during the Games," he added.

"The test run amazed me," said Moon Hee-jeoung, venue event manager of Genting Snow Park. The South Korean came to China in December 2018 to assist with the Beijing 2022 preparations.

"Despite some challenges in staging the testing program, we moved forward as scheduled, which surprised me a lot," he said.

With good natural light, rooms in the Olympic Village, which is around a 10-minute drive from Genting, are poised to offer athletes and officials comfortable accommodation during the Games.

The village has over 2,700 beds to accommodate athletes. After the Winter Olympics, over 1,100 of them will be transformed to cater to Paralympic athletes in time for their Games.

A historical element is integrated into the Olympic Village, with an ancient site from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) located nearby.

According to Zhang Mingqi, a designer from the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University, six hectares of the ancient site overlaps with the Olympic Village. The village's design team adjusted their original plans to incorporate the ancient site.

"We hope to show Chinese traditional and historical culture to athletes from across the globe during the Games, integrating it with the Winter Olympics," said Zhang.

He added that his team plans to dispense with enclosures around the village to better incorporate the natural landscape, history and culture.

"The construction project in Genting is not finished yet. I believe that after everything is completed, Beijing 2022 will be a very successful Games," Moon said.

Wang also expressed his confidence in a successful Beijing 2022.

"In the bidding and preparation phases of Beijing 2022, we are equipped with a high-caliber mountain operation team. We are quite confident," he said.

Lasting legacy

Organizers have stressed the importance of legacy throughout the buildup to the Games.

"Genting will be open to public sightseeing free of charge after Beijing 2022, offering visitors some spectacular scenes," Wang revealed.

Wang added there will be exhibition facilities in each of the three finish zones in Genting after Beijing 2022 to promote the various medal events and to relive highlights of the Games.

"This will help the general public appreciate the glamor of the Winter Olympics and better understand the Olympic spirit."

Wang said after making some post-Games adjustments, the Olympic pistes will be open to skiers to challenge themselves.

Most rooms in the Olympic Village are sized between 40 to 50 square meters, and the village will be converted into apartments to cater to skiers. There are also some tailored zones for skiing equipment.

"The rooms are not necessarily big, but it feels like home," Zhang said.

Locals reap rewards

Zhao Chunxin, a 55-year-old Chongli local, is cheered to witness the great changes that have been brought about by the Winter Olympics－both to the surrounding area and his own life.

Zhao once worked in Beijing. After the Winter Olympics development project started, he returned home in 2015 and found a job as a security guard.

Zhao has every reason to feel happy about settling down in his hometown－his salary has more than doubled, allowing him to buy a car.

"These changes are hard to imagine. In the past, we lived on farming, which relied a lot on Mother Nature.

"Now I have a higher income, and we live in a multi-story building. I think the Winter Olympics are a great treasure," Zhao said.

Moon expects a rise in the number of visitors to Zhangjiakou thanks to the influence of Beijing 2022.

"There was an increasing number of visitors to Pyeongchang after the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, both in summer and winter. I think this scenario will take place here in Zhangjiakou," he said.

"Some infrastructures such as the high-speed railway and the highway are also big factors in attracting more visitors here, and the resorts have excellent accommodation facilities."

For Moon, China's vision of engaging 300 million people in winter sports will generate long-term benefits.

"Asian countries are not so strong in snow sports," he said.

"If China's vision become a reality, it can change the idea that East Asian countries are disadvantaged in snow sports. From this respect, Beijing 2022 will carry a significant meaning."

Xinhua