Main operation center gets rolling again in Beijing 2022 test program

Photo taken on Dec. 14, 2019 shows the evening view of Big Air Shougang, the venue for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)

BOCOG is poised to go through another test in a 10-day ice sports test program in the series of winter sporting events dubbed 'Experience Beijing.

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- It's around 8 a.m., and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG)'s Shougang headquarters are bustling, with staff involved in different fields fixing their eyes on the four giant screens in front.

As during the test run of snow and sliding sports in February, the game-time main operation center is poised to go through another test in a 10-day ice sports test program in the series of winter sporting events dubbed 'Experience Beijing.'

The staff belong to different groups of venue communication, catering service, medical care and epidemic prevention, security safeguarding, and transportation. Pictures of the venues and surrounding areas and video conferences between venue operation headquarters and local organizing committees are transmitted live. Work tasks of the main operation center and venues and information analysis of occasions taking place in each venue are also presented on the screens.

Without a doubt, implementing a test run for ice and snow sports in an adapted manner is crucial for delivering a successful Beijing 2022.

Yan Cheng, director of the human resource department of the BOCOG, said the headquarters for the ice sports test program has set up a scientific and coordinated command system according to game-time requirements.

Yan revealed that compared with the snow and sliding sports test programs, specific content such as media operations and broadcasts have been added this time. The organizing committee is working on formulating anti-virus instructions during game time. First-hand information from this test program will be based on when drawing up instructions under expert guidance.

Zhang Jiandong (2nd R), Vice Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice President of Beijing 2022, attends the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) World Broadcaster Meeting (WBM) online at Shougang headquarters in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Yan said the operation teams of ice sports venues have achieved favorable results over the past few months since their foundation. The test run in April will center around three key objectives for operation teams.

"First, we need to learn about rules of venue operation and showcase our collective capabilities according to game-time requirements. The second is about drilling on our capabilities of solving all problems on the venue level. Problems would be handed over to the headquarters if they exceeded venue resource deployment and emergency disposal. Third, we hope to examine the operation teams and strengthen their cooperation, communication and coordination. Organizers will make personnel adjustments according to follow-up evaluation, and game-time operation teams will be formed step by step," said Yan.

"The test run for ice sports is of great significance to the organizing committee, local safeguarding and competition organization staff. Opportunity knocks but once. We hope to optimize the effect of this test program and meet all requirements on the basis of those in-game time," Yan noted.

Starting on Thursday, the Beijing 2022 test program for ice sports will be staged in five venues in the Beijing competition zone until April 10, involving five Winter Olympic and two Winter Paralympic events.