As smooth as ice

Participants hail efficiency of competitions, operations and venues

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games' competitions are running efficiently, and participants have hailed the venues, senior officials from the Beijing organizing committee and the International Olympic Committee said on Monday.

"Since the curling competition started on Feb 2, the competitions' organization has been very smooth," said Beijing organizing committee vice-president Yang Shu'an.

"Top athletes and international federations have praised the ice and snow events' venues."

Yang cited the Capital Indoor Stadium as an example, pointing out the venue was able to quickly and effectively transition between hosting figure skating and short track speed skating.

The official pointed out this was demanding because the two sports require different ice temperatures and thicknesses, and barriers.

"The venue's operation and sports teams have cooperated very effectively to ensure the shift was made according to quality standards and time requirements," Yang said.

IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell called the venues "absolutely outstanding".

"Equally, the operations around the fields of play have been excellent," he said.

"Obviously, the Chinese gold medal in one of the new events－the mixed team relay in short track speed skating－galvanized the host country around their athletes. But equally we've seen new countries, including New Zealand, with their first gold medal in the Olympic Winter Games. This is really a fantastic base moving forward."

China claimed its first gold at this year's Olympics in the short track speed skating mixed team relay on Saturday, while Zoi Sadowski Synnott won gold in women's snowboard slopestyle for New Zealand on Sunday.

Seven events have been listed for the first time in the Olympic program for the Beijing Games, including short track speed skating mixed team relay, bobsleigh women's monobob, freestyle skiing men's and women's Big Air, and mixed team aerials.

"The basic principles for selecting new events are that they have sufficient attraction to young people and a certain level of international popularity," Yang said.

"The third layer is that they must fall in line with the IOC's goals to reduce the expense and complexity of the Games and increase female athletes' participation."

A record 45 percent of the Beijing Winter Games' athletes are women, compared with 41 percent at Pyeongchang four years ago.

"We have got a much better balance in showcasing both (men and women) in the opening weekend and the closing weekend, as well as in the broadcast schedule," McConnell said.