On February 4, 2024, marking the two-year anniversary since the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the post-event operations of the National Stadium ("Bird's Nest"), the National Aquatics Center ("Water Cube" and "Ice Cube"), and the National Speed Skating Oval ("Ice Ribbon") have been highlighted. According to information obtained from the owner unit, Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co., Ltd., the three major venues have collectively received over 7 million visitors and hosted hundreds of large-scale events over the past two years. They have accelerated their integration into the daily lives of the public, showcasing a new benchmark for post-Olympic venue operations.
Following the successful completion of their service guarantee tasks for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co., Ltd. swiftly transitioned the three major Winter Olympic venues into post-event operation mode. They have been dedicated to transforming these top-tier sports arenas into comprehensive venues that cater to sports events, public fitness activities, cultural and leisure pursuits, exhibitions, and social welfare activities. This effort aims to maximize the utilization benefits of the Winter Olympics legacy.
Olympic venues are born for sports. The 10th Equestrian Beijing Masters was splendidly held at the "Bird's Nest"; FINA Swimming World Cup was thrown at the "Water Cube"; ISU Speed Skating World Cup (Beijing Station) and the 2022-2023 National Speed Skating Youth Championships were held at the "Ice Ribbon"… Leveraging first-class facilities and event service guarantee teams, these three major venues actively introduced and hosted high-level international and domestic events, presenting one top-notch sports and cultural feast after another for the citizens.
The venues have also partnered with domestic and international sports organizations such as the International Skating Union and the World Curling Federation. The "International Skating Union Excellence Center" is established at the "Ice Ribbon," and the "World Curling Academy Training Center" is set up at the "Ice Cube" Ice Sports Center, further providing professional sports training and support services and nurturing outstanding ice and snow talents. The National Speed Skating Oval also undertakes training services for the national speed skating team and county-level professional teams. Since the Winter Olympics, it has accommodated 36,000 training sessions and hosted the 2023 International Skating Training Camp, promoting the popularization and development of ice-skating sports.
In support of nationwide fitness, the mass ice and snow projects and high-quality events at the Winter Olympics venues have also become highlights. For example, the National Stadium has independently launched the ice and snow brand event "Bird's Nest Happy Ice and Snow Season," which has been held for thirteen consecutive sessions and has become a splendid business card for winter ice and snow projects in Beijing. The National Aquatics Center, with its dual functions of water and ice, not only hosts mass swimming events such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Swimming Competition and the Youth Swimming Series, but also introduces events like the "Ice Cube" Ice Fan Enjoyment Season PLUS and the "Ice Cube" Cup Curling Invitational. The National Speed Skating Oval introduces high-level skating clubs to train youth on the ice and launches brand activities such as the Ice and Snow Carnival Season, the Citizen Speed Skating Series, the Beijing Cross-Country Roller Skating Competition, and the "Ice Wheel Star· Skate Up" series events, allowing more citizens to enjoy the joy of ice and snow sports.
The high-quality cultural, sports, and leisure activities launched by the three major venues have further stimulated new vitality in the capital's cultural and sports consumption. Taking the highly anticipated concerts at "Bird's Nest" as an example, the 2023 Summer Starlight Concert Season featured 17 large-scale concerts, attracting a total audience of 820,000. In October of last year, the "Ice Ribbon" invited top international figure skaters to present the large-scale ice show "Ice Dream Silk Talks", offering the audience a visual feast of ice performances.
Translator: JIANG Wenyi
Reviewer: NIU Lihua
