China ensures normal operation of Olympic venues amid first snow in Year of Tiger
Global Times
1644798976000

A screen displays “Competition is postponed due to weather conditions” at the finishing slope of the freestyle skiing women's freeski slopestyle qualification run during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Genting Snow Park H & S Stadium in Zhangjiakou on February 13, 2022.

As snow arrived in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, the ice shovel and snow removal team of Zhangjiakou Competition Zone worked nonstop to ensure the normal operation of the venue for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

As the snowfall arrived at the Zhangjiakou Competition Zone, the ice shovel and snow removal team started the emergency plan. Staff from sports, mountain operation and other fields were dispatched to clear snow and ensure the normal operation of the venue. According to Zhangjiakou Daily, snow had been cleared on the Yanchong Expressway, which connects the Yanqing and Zhangjiakou competition zones of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

"The weather forecast said that the snow will start to fall at 5 am, and we started preparing for duty at 3 am. The snow removal team of 48 vehicles and 68 people is now on duty." Hu Jinghua, the leader of the snow removal team, told the media. His team is responsible for snow removal in Zhangjiakou core competition area and is equipped with small and medium-sized four-wheel drive high-horsepower snow removal equipment and ice breaking equipment to deal with the possible impact of snow on the road.

Guo Jinfei, competition area security employee, said that the working staff all went out to clear the snow from the early morning. And, through big data sharing, bus drivers received snow alerts the night before, so that they can prepare in advance.

Snow is also expected to continue until early tomorrow morning in Beijing, according to the citys weather forecast. Beijing Meteorological Bureau issued a blue alert for a snowstorm at 8:45 am on Sunday. According to the Beijing authority, 56,000 people are on standby to clear snow and shovel ice to ensure traffic on the citys roads during the Beijing 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Up to now, the city has 56,000 personnel on duty, with 10,791 sets of snow removal vehicles and 100,000 manual snow clearing tools.

Priority will be given to clearing snow and shoveling ice on roads around Olympic-related venues, and ensuring access to major roads such as Olympic lanes and venue liaison lines. A total of 4,215 workers, 715 sets of vehicles, 3,410 sets of equipment and 2,333 sets of tools have been prepared around the Olympic-related sites and special roads.

In Yanqing Competition Zone, Beijing Sanitation Group has communicated with the local team and venue team in details such as driving routes, closed-loop access, road sections, staff accommodation and epidemic control measures. In addition, the Beijing authority has made full preparations in terms of the safety of power line and gas supply.

Inside the venue, the organizing committee has prepared raincoats for the audiences to watch the games. Volunteers and staff stick to their posts to ensure the normal operation of the event in the snow.

So far, womens downhill 2nd Training and womens freeski slopestyle qualifying has been cancelled due to the blizzard there. Chinese athlete Gu Ailing is a participant of the womens slopestyle event.