Skating oval opens to bids

Beijing is inviting bids for construction of the National Speed Skating Oval, a new venue for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, after its design was unveiled in late April.

As the first public-private partnership project for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, its construction is set to be completed in 2019.

Private partners that win the bid will build and operate the 12,000-seat venue for 30 years, which is designed to cover 80,000 square meters at the Olympic Park in Beijing and involve some 1.18 billion yuan ($174.7 million) investment.

The partnership will help to share costs and improve sustainability, said officials at the Beijing Major Projects Construction Headquarters Office.

Like its neighboring facilities - such as the National Aquatics Center, more commonly known as the Water Cube, and the National Stadium, dubbed the Bird's Nest - the new venue will also be open to public for other sports events in the post-Olympic era, they said.

(China Daily 07/31/2017 page5)