Yanqing considers long-term use of Olympic infrastructure

Yanqing district in northwestern Beijing is planning to make the most of its winter sports resources after the 2022 Winter Olympic Games as district authorities get a head start on upgrading the use of ski slopes and facilities in and around the capital.

At a recent winter sports industry forum held in Yanqing in September, Ye Dahua, deputy head of the district, said it will build public ski slopes covering an area of 220,000 square meters in Zhangshanying town, home of the National Alpine Skiing Center. This will increase the total skiable area in the Xiaohaituo Mountains to 1.22 million square meters.

"The district is set to construct ski resorts for intermediate skiers and city dwellers in Yanqing, based around the mountain cluster venue developed for the 2022 Games," Ye said.

A report released earlier in June revealed the multiple key legacies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. According to Ye, environmentally friendly considerations have always been a priority for Yanqing while planning for the future use of related infrastructure.

He said Yanqing has taken its role as an ecological conservation area to heart and will continue to encourage high-quality green development.

"Yanqing will follow the most stringent standards for energy and water consumption to achieve carbon neutrality for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and it will pursue sustainable development after the Games," he said.

As one of three venue zones for the 2022 Games, the Yanqing mountain cluster is linked to downtown Beijing and co-host city Zhangjiakou in Hebei province via a new high-speed railway, which opened to public in late August.

Lin Xianpeng, professor of Beijing Sport University's College of Management, said at the forum that the post-Games use of venues should have the support of the International Olympic Committee.

"An Olympic asset management committee should be established to coordinate the funds and human resources present in the three venues, to vitalize an asset-light model and better practice regional planning," Lin said.

He advised that after the Games, a winter sports industrial corporation should be set up based around personnel employed by the 2022 Olympics.

"Building an industrial group－with sports consulting and carrying out diversified industrial operations as its goals－is also a key area that organizers should consider when it comes to the continued use of Games venues," Lin said.

The 2022 Games will be held from Feb 4 to 20 in three competition zones: downtown Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou's Chongli district.

Since Oct 5, a series of test events have been taking place in the three zones, involving 10 international competitions and two domestic trials. The test competitions will last through the end of December, according to organizers.