Zhangjiakou Winter Olympics venues ready for test events by year-end

BEIJING -- Competition venues in Zhangjiakou, the northern co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, will meet the standards for holding test events by the end of this year.

Main construction projects in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, will see full completion next year, according to China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG), the constructor.

The main structure of the biathlon center has already been completed, while the ski track in cross-country ski center passed an interim inspection.

The construction of the National Ski Jumping Center, which will host competitions in Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined, is expected to be completed next year.

Unlike ski jumping venues overseas, which are often built on ridges and rely mainly on fill to build jumping platforms and racetracks, the National Ski Jump Center would be built on frame structure between valleys, said CRCEG project manager Jiang Xiupeng.

"It will be more comfortable for athletes use the mountains as a windscreen in future competitions," Jiang added.

Zhangjiakou will host snowboarding, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined and biathlon competitions during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.