At the Winter Olympics in Beijing, highly prized medals will be awarded in 109 sporting events. And records will be set for sure.
Beijing is the first-ever city in the world to host both Summer and Winter Games, and the first to make advanced technology a central element to enhance the sporting experience. There is no medal for that, but the impact will be felt long after the athletes return home.
Leaders and special guests from other countries gathered in Beijing, and as we joined them in watching the opening ceremony and videos introducing the facilities in awe, we were amazed by the spectacular display of innovation and technology, creativity, sportsmanship, teamwork, and above all, the Olympic spirit.
Behind this spectacular showcase are visionary planning, impressive technological achievements, meticulous execution, and countless hours in preparation and destination-making, which I had the opportunity to see firsthand over the past 10 years as a member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Venues re-envisioned
The 12 competition venues are spread across three zones, and five have been repurposed from facilities used at the Summer Games in 2008. Each of the three zones has its own Olympic Village, and they are connected with a high-speed railway network.
By making the most of existing facilities, Beijing 2022 reduces carbon emission and minimizes impacts on the environment. This versatile approach is a reflection of urban development prowess, and the depth of meticulous execution.
‘The Snowflake’
The Wukesong Sports Centre is a case in point. Nicknamed “the Snowflake” for its resemblance to a gift box covered in colorful snowflakes, this 18,000-seat arena was originally built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics to host basketball games; it was converted into a basketball themed park cum recreational zone after the 2008 Summer Games. It is now repurposed as the main indoor venue for ice hockey, with natural lighting maximized by the addition of curtain walls, skylights, and sunken plazas. Remarkably, it can be readily switched from hockey to basketball in six hours, or the other way round.
When the hockey games start, the spectators — whether on-site, online, or through TV broadcasts — are treated to an interactive virtual-reality experience that simulates physical participation, tailored to individual preferences. This is facilitated by the deployment of a 5G signal across the venue — indeed, across all three competition zones — that connects with a live virtual-reality broadcasting technology.
The software management systems are just as smart; temperatures can be stratified through intelligent management. The temperature near the ice, where the competition takes place, is set to about 10 C and kept within a 0.5 C difference, lower than the international standard of 1.5 C, to produce a superior even surface.
The Ice Cube
The Ice Cube, officially the National Aquatics Centre, and previously known as the Water Cube, is the venue for curling events. The ice curling lanes sit nicely above the swimming pool. It is the world’s first sports venue that can be morphed into a swimming pool or an ice rink on demand.
Equipped with over 4,000 sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality, the Ice Cube must accommodate the high temperatures and humidity required for aquatic events, as well as the low temperatures and equally low humidity needed for sports on ice.
‘The Ice Ribbon’
The speed skating arena, the National Speed Skating Oval, or fondly called “the Ice Ribbon”, sits on a site that was used for hockey and archery during the 2008 Olympics. It is a sleek and elegant structure and a colorful nighttime spectacle with a facade featuring 22 “ice ribbons”, each measuring 622 meters in length, producing an ever-changing dance of ribbons of light, their movements mimicking the spirals of speed skaters on the ice. Using BIPV photovoltaic panels, the walls also generate additional electricity for the building.
The venues are designed with flexibility and sustainability in mind to serve the athletes and be open to the public for winter sports after the Winter Games. Additionally, units in the Olympic Village will be rented out at a discounted rate to sectors the city is developing, putting Olympic buildings into sustainable use.
Going green
The Beijing Winter Games is the first Olympics to use renewable electricity at all venues for lighting, operations and transport.
It is also modernizing and adopting newer, greener technology. For instance, the conventional refrigerant method requires a large quantity of Freon, which is detrimental to the ozone layer. A new technology using a natural carbon dioxide cooling method to transfer and absorb heat to refrigerate and make ice, then using the heat to warm water and indoor spaces, is being used at the Beijing Games. It reduces carbon emissions to near zero, and brings down energy consumption by 40 per cent and recycles 75 percent of the waste heat.
Water is a central element in winter sports, and much thought has been given to make the most of rainwater, snow water, melted snow, as well as gray water. There are devices to collect rainwater and melted snow for reuse. At the venues, surface water, rainwater and melted snow will be either retained in the soil or stored, then purified before being reused. Unpaved ground surfaces are covered in gravel or vegetation to allow infiltration of rain. Sewage is treated and used for toilet-flushing water and irrigation.
Robots and more
Visitors are greeted by human volunteers and a fleet of robots to meet every need: delivery robots, disinfecting robots, path-guiding robots, robot cooks stir-frying Chinese cabbage, public security inspection robots, award-presenting robots, and logistics robots able to handle loads up to 300 kilograms; and last but not least, coffee-making robots and 5G medical robots.
The extent of the logistics involved is breathtaking, and it is a testament to the strong leadership, commitment and stamina of the teams involved. The Summer Games in 2008 drove far-reaching urban development in Beijing and the country; the Winter Games will drive even wider development.
As IOC President Thomas Bach has put it, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics event is a miracle; it is indeed a miracle ready for everyone to enjoy.
Daryl Ng is chairman of the Greater Bay Area Homeland Youth Community Foundation.