Games venues set to welcome public

Legacy plans rolled out as organizers fulfill pledge that Beijing 2022 competition sites will benefit local communities

The venues of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics won widespread international acclaim during the Games, and now the public, including people with disabilities, will be able to enjoy these state-of-the-art sites.

Adhering to the Games' legacy plans, the venues will be opened to the public－some immediately and some later.

"Opening the venues to the public is in keeping with the sustainability pledges of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics," said Yan Jiarong, a spokesperson for the Beijing 2022 organizing committee (BOCOG).

"How to reutilize venues after major sports events is a conundrum worldwide. So, at the design stage, we drew up detailed plans on how to comprehensively and sustainably use the Beijing 2022 venues.

"We are planning to open these venues to the public as soon as possible. Some of the venues will be open before May 1, and some will be open in April, including the National Aquatics Centre, aka the Ice Cube.

"Notably, the venues of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics boast top-class barrier-free facilities, and most of these facilities will continue to be used after the Games."

BOCOG has adopted three principles on the sustainable use of Beijing 2022 venues－continuing to host high-level sports events, developing related tourism programs, and opening the venues to the public to attract more people to ice and snow sports.

The iconic National Aquatics Centre, for instance, staged swimming at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, when it also became known as the Water Cube. For Beijing 2022, the venue was transformed into the Ice Cube to host curling and wheelchair curling.

Moving forward, the venue will continue to alternate between its Water Cube and Ice Cube incarnations to host a wide variety of sports events, while it will also be open to the public.

"We have reached framework agreements with the World Curling Federation and International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation, and we are communicating with more sports federations to host World Cups and other international high-level competitions, to ensure the sustainable use of the venues and to facilitate the development of Chinese winter sports," Yan said.