Pre-homologation of Yanqing Sliding Center (CHN) successful

Yanqing (FIL): Under strict hygiene conditions, the first international test runs on the new Olympic track for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing took place on 26-30th October 2020. The new Yanqing Sliding Center was the venue for the pre-homologation of the two international federations FIL (luge) and IBSF (bobsleigh and skeleton).

Under the direction of FIL Technical Director Christian Eigentler, 115 luge runs and two Team Relay runs of three starting heights were completed in eight training sessions. There were six women's and six men's singles and two doubles at the start.

FIL Technical Director Christian Eigentler reported: “The organization and cooperation with BOCOG Sliding Sports Manager Xudong Zhang and BOCOG Sliding Sports Expert Normunds Kotans was perfect. The pre-homologation was optimally prepared and went according to plan in every respect. The charter flights and high safety standards in the area of infection control convinced us of the perfect handling”.

Chairman of the FIL Luge Track Commission Markus Aschauer: “Yanqing was my fifth overall pre-homologation of an Olympic track and that was without doubt the most relaxed one. The track calculations fit, the track lines are right and the safety standards are perfect. The track in the Yanqing Sliding Center is calculated around 135 km/h. Furthermore, the new Olympic track is very interesting. Curve 1 is unusually open. Then the circle “kreisel”, has a diameter two meters larger than that of Königssee and has an eight percent incline at the entrance and a 16 percent gradient at the exit. Our Chinese friends have said that they are building the most modern artificial ice track in the world and I agree. They have completely succeeded in doing so!”

Walter Plaikner, FIL Head of Track Commission for Yanqing, says: “The new Olympic track in China has been implemented in an architecturally clean way. The test runs in October 2020 took place under very good and fast conditions. The improvements we requested were implemented immediately and to our complete satisfaction. The safety standards are very high“.

Olympic champion David Gleirscher (AUT): “I like the new Olympic track in the Yanqing National Sliding Center very much. It is a lot of fun to slide there. The new track in China has a very special rhythm. You definitely have to luge with a lot of feeling. It is very difficult to compare the track with others. It has a very special character. In training we had top speeds of around 129 km/h from the men's start. In the competition we will certainly reach over 130 km/h.”

Brothers Andris and Juris Sics (LAT) participated for the third time in the pre-homologation of a new Olympic track and report: “Together we participated in the first test runs of the new Olympic tracks in Sochi, Pyeongchang and now in Beijing. Our first impressions of the track are very good. The people responsible for the construction of the new track have invested a lot of work in the architecture and construction of the track. It was worth it, it has become really interesting. The track is not easy to ride. There are elements similar to those on the Olympic tracks in Nagano, Sotchi and Whistler, but there are also completely new parts that we haven't seen anywhere else.”

Yanqing is geographically part of Beijing City Council and is located northwest of the Chinese capital. In addition to sledding, alpine skiing is also planned during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Yanqing. Beijing 2022 is scheduled to take place from 4th-20th February 2022.

The FIL plans to hold the final of the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup Series 2020/21 in Yanqing, China, on the Olympic track for Beijing 2022 from February 16th-21st 2021. This would be a pre-Olympic test competition.