Work in progress to lay bobsleigh and tobogganing tracks for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Yanqing District in Beijing on November 27 (COURTESY PHOTO) 

As the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing approach, construction workers from the Shanghai Baoye Group Corp. Ltd. are ramping up efforts to complete the tracks for the National Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Center to be ready for trial use in March 2020.  

The center is located in the Xiaohaituo Mountain of Yanqing District, a northern suburb of Beijing at the foot of the Great Wall. Due to the vast mountain range, Yanqing was chosen as one of the three major sites for the 2022 Winter Games. It will host alpine skiing, bobsleigh and luge races.  

Initiated in 2018, the project marks China's first trial to build tracks for bobsleigh and tobogganing. With a total length of 1,975 meters, they will be equipped with a 360 degree curve.  

According to Yao Yuan, one of the leaders of the project, complicated mountain terrain and the demanding thickness of the concrete tracks to ensure safety during high-speed races have made the construction difficult. But the team has overcome various challenges through applying advanced technologies in line with local conditions. Based on international experience, the shotcrete technology used by the company on the surface of the tracks was certificated by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation last year.  

For the first time in the world, steel and wood are combined in the race awnings of the tracks, Yao added. 

"The awnings are built with materials that can complement each other and improve the strength of the facilities," Li Huantao, an engineer with Shanghai Baoye told Beijing Review.   

Since the tracks are the world's first located on the south-facing slope, the awnings will play a key role in preventing the ice from melting in the sunshine as well as reducing energy costs, Yao said.  

Currently, the construction has been steadily progressing, with 30 percent of the awnings installed. Full installation is expected to be finished by January 2020.  

During the games, the facilities will enable athletes to maintain fine conditions and provide viewers with a great experience, Li said.  

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar & Rebeca Toledo 

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