Athletes, organizations praise Beijing's 2022 preparations

After winning the skeleton time trial at last month's test event, four-time women's individual world champion Tina Hermann of Germany said the track was fun enough for athletes to push themselves to their limits.

Her compatriot Jaqueline Loelling echoed those sentiments, saying the track and its stunning mountain location help bring out the best in racers.

"This is an incredible and special track," Loelling, a 2018 Olympic silver medalist, said. "The views and the design of the venue motivate you to compete. We spent three very pleasant weeks there."

German bobsled head coach Rene Spies described the venue as "architecturally outstanding", adding that it is "smoothly embedded in the landscape".

Germany's Olympic bobsled champion Francesco Friedrich made 20 runs on the simulator before participating in tests on the new Olympic track in Yanqing.

"Thanks to the simulator, we knew from the start about the track's curves. It's a great help when you have to compete on a track without many training sessions," Friedrich said.