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Beijing Opens New Bobsleigh Run for Winter Olympics

INTERNATIONAL: Beijing has officially opened its aptly named “National Sliding Centre” ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics. It’s holding an international skeleton and bobsleigh test event, with just over 100 days to go until the Winter Olympics begin.

The competition is sanctioned by the International Skeleton and Bobsleigh Federation and is an Olympic qualifying event. The recently completed National Sliding Centre lies in the northwest suburbs of China's capital and is one of several venues that have been specially constructed for the games. Monday's events included the women's and men's skeleton where athletes lie on a board and shoot down head first at speeds of over 100km/h. German athletes won first prize in both categories.

In total 240 athletes from 23 countries are scheduled to compete across the two days of competition after a rigorous testing protocol for Covid-19.

Skelton athlete, Hannah Neise, says it was a long trip:

"Yes we had a long journey to come here because we tested in Frankfurt and then got our flight a day later. We were tested in Beijing again and, yeah, we do PCR tests every day. We have to. We can't go out of the hotel complex. But I guess it's ok. The complex is very big and we can see the track and the view from the track is very beautiful. We've also done a bus trip to the Great Wall and to the expo park. It was very beautiful."

Marcus Wyatt of the UK says he’s getting used to the health protocols:

"It's similar. We were very lucky in that we got to do a full season last year so a lot of it was very similar to that in terms of getting tested before you kind of flew anywhere. We had lots of covid tests kind of throughout the week. I think a lot of athletes have just got used to that in the past. It's just what the world is like at the moment. So I think we're all mainly just happy that we can compete, that we can be here."

Skeleton athlete, Axel Jungk, says the new course is stunning:

"Yeah I had a very great experience here because I really like the track. In my opinion I think it's maybe one of the best tracks in the world. It has everything. It has fast parts, very hard parts. I have to steer a lot. You also have a bit of a good feeling for the track. I really like it."

On Monday the organisers of the Beijing 2022 winter games released their guidelines, effectively stating that Covid measures for athletes for these test events would be largely repeated for next year's Winter Olympics. Despite concerns about the ongoing pandemic, China has maintained that the world's biggest winter sports event will take place as schedule between 4-20 February.

PHOTO:  FROM ORGANISERS OF ATHLETES COMPETING IN SKELETON COMPETITION AT CHINA'S NATIONAL SLIDING CENTRE IN BEIJING/REUTERS FOOTAGE OF ATHLETES COMPETING/REUTERS FOOTAGE OF PHOTOGRAPHERS AND COACHES CAPTURING ATHLETES IN COMPETITION/SOUNDBITES OF ATHLETES DISCUSSING COVID MEASURES IN CHINA AND FEELINGS ABOUT THE VENUE/STAFF AT VENUE RAISING UP BLINDS BESIDE TRACK AND CLEANING UP EXCESS ICE FROM TRACK/HANDOUT FILE DRONE FOOTAGE 


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