Author: Yang Zhonghua.
Number of words: 2551 words.
Suggested reading time: 8 minutes.
Discussions around the legacy of the post-Winter Olympics era are heating up again.
On the occasion of the second anniversary of the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the "Ice Ribbon" of the National Speed Skating Hall added a "new atmosphere" - on February 4, the Pangqing Tongjian International Skating Club (National Speed Skating Hall Training Point) under Huati Yixiang held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the standard ice rink. During last year's National Day, it was on this ice that Pang Qing, Tong Jian, and many Olympic champions brought the audience an "all-star" lineup of figure skating commercial performance "Ice Dream Silk Language" - Magic on Ice. Today, they will continue to use the ice rink in the "Ice Ribbon" center to provide a high-quality venue for different groups from ordinary enthusiasts to teenagers to professional athletes.
The "Ice Ribbon" is the only newly built competition venue for the Beijing Winter Olympics, and it is also a shining business card of the Winter Olympics legacy. In the post-Winter Olympics period, it will undertake the important mission of promoting the development of ice skating in China, holding events of various sizes and types to attract more tourists and participants. Since its opening to the public in July 2022, the "Ice Ribbon" has received more than 600,000 visits, trainings, ice skating experiences and other activities.
In Tong Jian's view, more ice rinks, more skating enthusiasts, and better sports popularization have ushered in a good era of development for figure skating, "On this ice surface that has served the Olympic Games, I hope that through our efforts, more people can feel the charm of ice and snow sports, cultivate our reserve talents, and let them win glory for the country on the international stage in the future." ”
Harness the use of tangible assets: Plan the "Ice Ribbon" of ice
At half past 10 o'clock in the morning, on the standard ice rink of the "Ice Ribbon", a group of young students were learning to skate with Yan Han, the world figure skating champion. They stretched out their arms and glided like swallows. Yan Han walked up to them from time to time and gave them some technical guidance. Although the young cadets are of different ages and levels, they all have a passion for skating.
Why are more and more children craving figure skating? Tong Jian believes that there are many reasons.
One of the most prominent factors is the influence of the "Winter Olympics traffic". "In the past, when we said we were skating, many people didn't understand whether it was roller skating or real ice, but from the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics to the continuous release of the enthusiasm of the whole people to participate in ice and snow sports, I think there has been a very big change in terms of concept. Tong Jian said.
The great increase in enthusiasm for figure skating is a prerequisite for the growth of the skating market. As an important social legacy, the successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics has also connected the upstream, midstream and downstream industrial chains of the ice and snow industry.
In terms of quantity, since the beginning of preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the number of ice rinks in China has been steadily increasing. According to the data released in the "2023 China Ice and Snow Industry Development Report", by the end of 2022, China had 1,576 ice skating venues, an increase of 126 year-on-year, and a growth rate of 869%, accounting for 64% of the total number of ice and snow venues27%。
From the perspective of quality, the legacy of the venues of the Beijing Winter Olympics provides a professional venue for high-level international and domestic events and national fitness activities with the participation of the masses. Taking the "Ice Ribbon" as a reference, in the past two years, the Avenue Ice Surface has ushered in the ISU Speed Skating World Cup sub-station, and the "Ice Ribbon" citizen speed skating series has also been held one after another. In addition, the venue also guarantees the training of professional teams at the national and Beijing municipal levels. The standard ice rink in the avenue has introduced many well-known ice sports training institutions, providing training courses from zero to professional in figure skating, short track speed skating and other sports.
The Ice Ribbon's piece of ice is different from other ice surfaces that we have entered in the past, because it is a new Olympic venue. In Tong Jian's heart, planning to make good use of "this ice" is indispensable for youth training, commercial performances and the promotion of public activities. "We also hope that from last year's Ice Ribbon's ice performance to this year's Ice Event, as well as a series of performances and our professional training, Ice Ribbon can be more valuable. ”
In the post-Olympic era, when more and more Winter Olympic venues have shifted to post-competition operation mode, Pang Qing Tong Jian International Skating Club is not the only beneficiary.
In order to consolidate and expand the achievements of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports", the "Work Plan on Recovering and Expanding Sports Consumption" issued by the General Administration of Sports mentioned that it is necessary to dig deep into the potential of ice and snow consumption, accelerate the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou sports and cultural tourism belt, promote the post-competition utilization of Winter Olympic venues, encourage the hosting of ice and snow events, improve the utilization rate of venues, realize the linkage of venue resources in the three competition areas of the Winter Olympics, and release the potential of ice and snow consumption; Increase the number of youth sports service entities, promote the healthy development of youth sports clubs, and provide better sports training services for young people.
Just as skates scratches across the ice will leave marks, the market increase brought about by the Winter Olympics effect has also made the development of figure skating in China full of possibilities. Giving full play to the long-term value of Olympic venues and driving more ice and snow population are the basic paths to promote the development of the ice and snow industry.
Inheriting the intangible heritage: the trinity of competitions, training and performances
The venues are the tangible wealth left by the Beijing Winter Olympics, and the ice and snow sports culture is the intangible heritage of the Winter Olympics.
When the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics women's singles champion Zagitova stepped onto the ice in a lake-blue Kasten and integrated the water sleeve into the choreography to bring "Ambush on All Sides", which integrates Chinese martial arts elements, the audience applauded. This is a scene from "Ice Dream Silk Language" - Magic on Ice, which Zagitova presented at the "Ice Ribbon" during last year's National Day. Integrating Chinese cultural elements, the innovation of lighting and ice surface design has attracted the attention of countless audiences.
This is also the first large-scale performance event held by the "Ice Ribbon" after the Winter Olympics, and the "Heavenly Troupe" lineup composed of 19 world-class figure skaters runs through the three performances. Among them, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics women's singles champions Shcherbakova and Trusova reproduced the two classic programs "The Master and Margarita" and "Kuira" respectively, which also made everyone feel like returning to the figure skating free skating scene of the Beijing Winter Olympics, making up for the regret of many viewers who missed the Winter Olympics.
This ice show is an exploration of the sustainable use of Winter Olympic venues after the Games, as well as an integration of sports, culture and entertainment elements. It showcased the diversity of the Olympic arena to a wide audience, not only for events, training, but also for trendy ice shows.
As one of the main creators of the ice show, Tong Jian naturally saw the market feedback on this water test.
We hope that this year can combine the advantages of last year, make up for the shortcomings, and continue to enrich and polish the quality and influence of this ice show IP to meet the needs of more audiences. ”
Combining events, training, and performances to create a complete figure skating industry chain is what Tong Jian values. Years of experience in the figure skating training market have convinced him that only by promoting the professionalization of sports can more people participate in figure skating, so as to improve the level of figure skating in China.
Nowadays, many young athletes from Pang Qing Tong Jian International Skating Club have finally had the opportunity to enter the ranks of the national youth team and even the national team through training and screening of various events.
"For example, we have cooperated with the Chinese Skating Association to carry out basic coach training, aiming to improve the professional level and industry norms of coaches, and help them more effectively guide young people and the public to participate in and adhere to skating." This cooperation should also be deepened to cultivate and assess more young skating talents, and cultivate more basic coaches. ”
The IOC's definition of the Olympic legacy is: "the long-term benefits that each Olympic Games create for the host city, the local people and the Olympic Movement before, during and after the Games." ”
When more and more young people who are nourished and inspired by the legacy of the Winter Olympics shine on the ice rink, more people in the audience will be inspired to participate in ice and snow sports, or plant a seed in their hearts. "In this way, we can form the inheritance of generations of figure skating talents, and our sports competition level, sports professionalism and sports marketization scale can be developed in harmony. Tong Jian said.
This article** is from Pang Qing Tong Jian International Skating Club.