＂Water Cube＂ turned into ＂Ice Cube＂ to welcome the first curling competition.
On December 8th, the audience watched the women’s curling final of China Youth Open in the "Ice Cube". Xinhua News Agency reporter Yan Huanzong photo
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 8th Title: "Water Cube" turned into "Ice Cube" to welcome the first curling competition.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Ji Ye Zhang Xiao Wang Yong
From 3 to 8 December, the China Youth Curling Open kicked off at the National Aquatics Center. After a year of "water-ice conversion", the "Water Cube" finally turned into an "ice cube" and ushered in the first curling competition. At the same time, in the ice sports venues of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, it was the first to complete the Olympic standard ice making work.
After the successful bid for the Winter Olympics, Water Cube innovatively proposed "water-ice conversion" and "ice-water two-wheel drive". By building a movable and convertible ice rink, water sports venues can realize the functions of ice sports venues.
As the first winter Olympic stadium in the world to build a curling track in the swimming pool, it is necessary to test the transformation project of "water-ice conversion". Although this week’s events seem ordinary, they actually undertake important tasks.
The double Olympic venues are showing their mettle.
The reporter saw in the "Ice Cube" that the swimming pool of the 2008 Olympic Games has now become a curling venue for four standard tracks. Curling teenagers focus on throwing and rubbing ice, and the audience cheers for the game. This double-Olympic venue is beginning to show its heroic spirit.
Yang Qiyong, general manager of the National Swimming Center, said that the core of the competition facilities consists of ice making system, dehumidification system, air conditioning system, sports lighting system and control system. After a series of careful research and development, the "Water Cube" Olympic Project has successively completed the production and processing of large-scale equipment and facilities, on-site pipeline construction, and the installation of large-scale equipment since December 26, 2018. One month before the start of the competition, the facilities were debugged and put into trial operation.
Curling is one of the most demanding events for ice making and ice quality in all winter Olympic ice events. Ice-making in the competition is completed by a professional ice maker appointed by the World Curling Federation. After six days of actual combat, the "Ice Cube" curling ground has achieved "no deformation, no cracking and no condensation on the ice". The venue operation team ensures that the temperature and humidity of the stadium are within the requirements of the competition. In addition, questionnaires were distributed to referees, team leaders, players and spectators, and timely feedback and handling were made.
On December 8th, Yu Han (second from left), a first-team athlete from Shanghai, threw a pot in the women’s curling final of China Youth Open. Xinhua News Agency reporter Yan Huanzong photo
Feedback from all parties works well.
During the competition, the general contractor, the equipment supplier, the design unit, the supervision unit and the scientific research team controlled the site environment all the time. The site team and the ice maker collected a lot of data, including the ice surface temperature, the control of machinery and equipment, the indoor and outdoor air temperature, humidity and wind speed. After the competition, the research team will quickly sort out these data and form a series of special reports. According to these reports, the ice maker will sort out the final opinions, which will be evaluated and judged by the World Curling Federation.
Ogawa Kazuhe, director of the World Curling Federation, said: "The mobile rink will be used for the first time in the curling competition of the Winter Olympics. This mobile rink system is very successful from the test competition."
Hans, who has participated in the ice-making work in curling venues of the Winter Olympics many times, said: "This is an Olympic-level track, and all athletes dream of competing here. Although this is the first time that the mobile ice surface has been used in Olympic venues, its performance can be said to be perfect. "
Jin Zhishan, a South Korean curling star who led the Shanghai team, said: "I have played many international competitions, and I feel that it is similar to the World Championships and Winter Olympics venues, and the ice quality is very good." Japanese team coach Yuji Watanabe said that Japanese players enjoyed the game here.
Liu Jinli, curling coach and former world champion of Heilongjiang Ice Training Center, said that curling can be clearly felt when it is rotated inside and outside, and the flatness of this field is very good. Li Zhixia, a contestant from Beijing Chen Jinglun Middle School, said that the ice surface of the "Ice Cube" is very helpful to improve my competition results.
On December 8th, the audience watched the women’s curling final of China Youth Open in the "Ice Cube". Xinhua News Agency reporter Yan Huanzong photo
"Ice-water dual drive" focuses on the future
The competition lasted for 6 days, and 10 young men and 10 women competed fiercely on the brand-new ice of "Olympic standard". In the end, Japan’s Sapporo team won the first place in the men’s group and Jilin Province won the first place in the women’s group. The competition attracted more than 10 thousand people to watch the game, and the peak number of people watching the game in a single game reached more than 2,600.
In the venue, some simulated skiing experience games attracted many children to participate. Swimming, fitness and water recreation parks are also open as usual, truly achieving "ice and water two-wheel drive". During the renovation, the venue also hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Under the situation that there is a shortage of ice operation talents in China, the National Aquatics Center adopts the mode of cooperation between enterprises and schools to set up an "ice-making talent order class" to train ice-making and ice operation and maintenance talents in advance for the future development of the venue. In this competition, students from the order class participated in the whole process, from laying ice pipes before the competition, making ice and pouring ice, to maintaining the ice surface during the competition. At the scene, I got the personal demonstration and hands-on guidance from international ice makers.
It is reported that Olympic-quality curling venues will be used for mass experience and popularization of curling events for a period of time after December 9. The renovation project of the curling venue of the National Swimming Center will be completed in the middle of next year to welcome the curling test of the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games in early 2021.
Beijing Radio and Television Station Winter Olympics Documentary Channel and Ultra HD Video (Beijing) Production Technology Collaborative Center conducted an 8K broadcast test for the first match and the men’s and women’s finals. This is also the first time in China to conduct an 8K broadcast test for winter events. The live events will be broadcast on Beijing Radio and Television Station Winter Olympics Documentary Channel on December 14th and 15th.
The competition was hosted by the Winter Sports Management Center of the State Sports General Administration and the China Curling Association, and was undertaken by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau, the Chaoyang District Government of Beijing and the National Aquatics Center, with the support of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee.