Closed Steel Mill Sends Olympic Skiers – Not Smoke – Skyward
Feb 7, 2022, 9:29 AM | Updated: 10:49 am
BEIJING (AP) — The Shougang Group steel mill that once billowed smoke into smoggy Beijing is sending something else skyward this week — Olympic skiers.
The sprawling industrial park was shuttered in conjunction with Beijing’s efforts to clean up its image and its air around the 2008 Games.
It has since been converted to a sports and culture center.
Eileen Gu answers the call! ☎️
This run moved her into a qualifying spot for the first-ever Olympic women's freestyle skiing Big Air final.#WinterOlympics // #WatchWithUS
📺 : @USA_Network & @peacockTV
💻 : https://t.co/NbKUbnVq8Q pic.twitter.com/NLLDLxOyHD— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 7, 2022
One of its centerpieces is the Olympic big air jump — the first permanent, city-based venue the sport has ever had.
Freestyle skiers will compete there for medals Tuesday and Wednesday. Snowboarders will come by next week.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
Beijing is the capital of China, with a population of more than 20 million people and the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic games. It is one of the largest cities in the world and 15 hours ahead of Mountain Time. There are 13 different venues in and around Beijing that will be used for the Winter Olympics. A total of 109 events will be held in 15 different sports, and there will be a lot of Utah locals competing for medals. Keep up to date with them at our Olympic headquarters.
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