beijing's "ice cube," which hosted the world wheelchair curling championship 2021 that concluded late on saturday, will serve as a key venue for the upcoming winter olympics and paralympics. that's why it has been renovated for ice sports and accessibility for athletes with disabilities.
both the world curling federation (wcf) and athletes of the 12 attending teams of the world championship are happy with the facilities and the services.
"so far, these worked very well. from the travel to beijing and once we've arrived in beijing, they've done an excellent job," said kate caithness, president of wcf in a group interview earlier.
"ice cub," also known as water cube (national aquatics center) is designed and constructed with accessible facilities for the 2022 winter olympic and paralympic games. /cgtn
"at the end of the day, our athletes have to focus on their performance and by feeling safe in the environment, they can then focus on the games and their performance within the games," she said.
the installation of accessible facilities at the venue began in 2018, and it was completed a year ago.
"the guidelines for the beijing 2022 winter olympics and paralympics are greatly improved, compared with the 2008 summer games here. that includes standards for hardware and more people-centered services," said qi zhiguang, deputy manager of venue operation in "ice cube".
accessible ramp in "ice cube." /cgtn
yang jinkui, head of the paralympic games integration department in the organizing committee for 2022 winter games, said the venue was built with sufficiently accessible facilities in every corner. the automatic and spacious facilities won't just serve the games. one of the events' legacies will be that beijing has built the world's largest sports training base for people with disabilities. moreover, china is also promoting accessible facilities across beijing and elsewhere in the country.
accessible toilets in ice cube. /cgtn
"the accessible facilities we are promoting aren't only for people with disabilities. they'll also serve seniors, women, children and even those in medical emergencies. these services represent the moral and ethical standards of the society," yang said.
the test event may have ended, but organizers say they'll continue to make improvements at venues and in services. they say those efforts are to demonstrate the theme of these games "together with a shared future."
