Beijing 2022 test events to start in October

Aerial photo taken on May 11, 2019 shows the performance during the 1,000-day countdown celebrations of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Chongli of Zhangjiakou City, north China's Hebei Province. [Xinhua/Xing Guangli]

From Oct. 5 to Dec. 31, test events including 10 international competitions will be held in Beijing 2022's three competition zones.

BEIJING -- Test events will be held before the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and some of them could be open to spectators, organizers confirmed on Monday.

From October 5 to December 31, 10 international competitions, three training weeks and two domestic trials will be organized to test all elements of the Games in the three competition zones of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

The events will cover speed skating, skeleton, luge, figure skating, short track speed skating, curling, wheelchair curling, bobsleigh, ice hockey, freestyle ski cross, snowboard cross, Nordic combined and biathlon, among which curling and ice hockey events will be limited to domestic athletes.

An estimate of 2,000 overseas athletes, team officials, technical officials and timing and scoring personnel are expected for these test events, and they will be under closed-loop management upon arriving in China with case-by-case policies for different venues, according to the organizers.

Test activities were staged last snow season to examine venues and facilities, operations and emergency response, with briefings held for comments and suggestions from international experts.

"Based on the previous experience, this time we will have all-factor tests up to Games-time operation standard. We will formulate and implement COVID-19 countermeasures and have a throughout examine of Games preparations," said Yao Hui, Venue Management director for Beijing 2022.

"The test events are indispensable in Games preparation. They will lay a solid foundation for the safe and smooth hosting of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games as scheduled."