Games venues set to welcome public

Certain venues such as the National Sliding Centre and National Alpine Skiing Centre, don't naturally lend themselves to public use, given the courses are primarily designed for use by elite athletes.

However, this has not stopped designers from factoring in public use. The winding track at the National Sliding Centre, aka the Flying Snow Dragon, pushed the world's best skeleton, luge and bobsleigh riders to their limits during the Beijing Winter Olympics. However, now the public will be able to experience about one third of the track, with a less-challenging section to open to curious thrill-seekers in order to promote sliding sports.

"So our main goal was to offer the best experience, such as great acceleration, challenging turns and certain sections to relax a little bit," said Zhang Yuting, the designer of the venue, late last month.

"No two sliding tracks are exactly the same in the world. Tracks need to be customized based on the natural conditions of the location. So we needed to find the best solution for the track design."

Meanwhile, plans are in place to increase summer tourism at the ski resorts at Beijing 2022 competition venues in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

"We plan to develop ice and snow entertainment centers, mountain resorts and tourist attractions based on the venues in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou," Yan said.

To meet the diverse needs of the para athletes and other participants with disabilities at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, all venues were equipped with comprehensive barrier-free facilities, such as wheelchair friendly seating areas in the stands.

The vast majority of these barrier-free facilities will continue to be used after the Winter Paralympics, and many venues will continue to host para sports events and invite people with disabilities to participate in activities.

"The venues for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics belong not only to athletes－they belong to everyone who loves sports," said Yan.

"Beijing 2022 has ended, but a new chapter of national fitness has just started. The great performances of the winter Olympians and Paralympians impressed us all, and in the future we will keep cheering for everyone who participates in sports."