Beijing all set for winter thrills(2)

A series of international winter sports events will, again, bring Beijing's Olympic venues to life with sledders, skaters, skiers and snowboarders vying for World Cup titles and Olympic ranking points. CHINA DAILY

A week later, the action will find its way to Beijing's downtown venues with two highly anticipated events — a speed skating World Cup and a free ski and snowboard Big Air World Cup. Both running between Nov 29 and Dec 1, the overlapping events will make it a hard choice for winter sports fans as to which one to choose. Both events will offer important qualification ranking points for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, each drawing a glittering cast of international stars to battle for podium finishes in Beijing.

The Big Air World Cup — which involves skiers and snowboarders hurtling downward, taking off, performing spins, flips and grabs before landing in style — will return to the iconic giant slope at west Beijing's Shougang Industrial Park. It has emerged as perhaps the most sought-after competition this season, with two extremely popular Olympic champions in men's snowboarder Su Yiming and women's free skier Gu Ailing both having signed up for the home showpiece.

With the snow cannons blasting at full capacity and venue staff manicuring the steep ramp, the permanent Big Air slope at Shougang, the world's first of its scale, is taking shape as the optimal venue for hosting the high-flying event, and one that international athletes love so much.

As last year's Cup winner in Shougang, the 20-year-old Su is primed to defend his title at home, while his fellow Olympic champion Gu, who leads all men's and women's skiers with a record haul of 15 freestyle ski World Cup wins, will make an eye-catching return to the Olympic slope for the first time since her golden bow at Beijing 2022.

Tickets for the Big Air, and the concurrent live music concerts featuring renowned local bands, priced from 360-1080 yuan ($50-150), have been among the hottest in town, according to the organizing committee.

Leaving the awe-inspiring action aside, the Big Air slope itself will be a spectacle worth visiting during the event, with the massive, now iconic, smoke stacks from the former steel mill providing a backdrop to the gravity-defying tricks.

"Beijing's rich legacy in facilities and organizational expertise from the 2022 Winter Olympics has made the city more than competent to continue playing host to these international events," said Ge Jun, a deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau.

"Bringing in more events in the post-Olympic era helps to maximize the use of the venues and further promotes winter sports among the public, a commitment the central government made prior to Beijing 2022."

The speed skating World Cup's Beijing leg, this season's second stop following this weekend's opener in Japan, will build on Team China's successful campaign at the Four Continents Championships earlier this month, offering the host's speedsters a valuable test on home ice for their 2026 Olympics preparation.

Led by men's 500m defending Olympic champion Gao Tingyu and world champion Ning Zhongyan, a specialist in 1,000m and 1,500m, the Chinese squad will field 34 skaters to compete against international heavyweights, such as the Netherlands and Canada, at the National Speed Skating Oval, aka the "Ice Ribbon", for the World Cup showdown.

Team China bagged four medals, including a gold in women's team pursuit, from the Four Continents meet in Japan, showing scintillating pace at the start of the season.

"The hosting of a series of international events in China, for sure, will help our own athletes better improve themselves en route to the 2026 Olympics," said Xing Shuo, a deputy director of the National Winter Sports Administrative Center.

"The advantage of preparing for and racing on home soil is quite helpful for bringing out their best form."