New-look Capital Indoor Stadium passes the test

As the last skater stepped off the ice, a 10-day test program for Beijing 2022 concluded at the refurbished Capital Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

The 53-year-old indoor venue, which originally housed China's first man-made ice rink, tested the short-track speed skating and figure skating competitions with a series of events entitled "Experience Beijing".

The program marked the renovated venue's debut following the completion of refurbishment work for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Built in 1968 as a multi-purpose facility, the arena hosted volleyball during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Featuring advanced design concepts, the gymnasium was capable of staging both summer and winter sports as early as 1980.

Based on its original design, the venue could accommodate 18,000 seated spectators, with competition space for 16 table tennis tables.

Under the wooden floor, there are prefabricated concrete slabs and refrigeration tubes to make ice for winter sports. Entering the 2022 Beijing Winter Games cycle, the stadium underwent a two-year renovation.

The exterior was refurbished in keeping with its original appearance, retaining the beige walls, dark glass windows and facades decorated with vertical lines. However, the interior has been thoroughly transformed to meet the demands of the Winter Olympics.

"The Capital Indoor Stadium is a historical building with artistic value, and we had to make changes within its original structure," said Ding Dong, venue manager of the Beijing 2022 Olympic competitions site.

The number of seats has been cut to 15,000, but they are now wider and more comfortable for the audience. In addition, 80 barrier-free spectator seats have been installed. The venue has also been upgraded with a professional lighting system and equipped with a world-leading integrated video display system.

As part of Beijing 2022's promise to host sustainable and green Games, the venue has changed its ice-making technology to an eco-friendly system that uses carbon dioxide as a clean refrigerant, instead of the environmentally harmful substance Freon. The new system also shortens the time it takes to make ice and transition between speed skating and figure skating.

After the Winter Olympics, the Capital Indoor Stadium will be able to stage various high-level ice and summer sports events, fulfilling the goal of leaving a post-Games legacy, according to Ding.

Xinhua