Employees check snow machines in Olympic co-host city Zhangjiakou, North China's Hebei Province. Photo: VCG

Technological elements are expected to play an outstanding role in the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, with robots, new-energy vehicles, and other high-tech products playing a big role to ensure the events will be held in a smart and environmentally friendly way under the request of virus prevention.

On Saturday night, a domestic ice hockey test event concluded at the National Indoor Stadium. The event was a part of the "Experience Beijing" project, a series of winter sporting events aiming to be tested overall for the Winter Olympics.

The ice hockey game was held almost exactly as a formal match would be in the Olympics, the Global Times learned.

After showing the staff proof of a COVID-19 nucleic acid test within 48 hours, the reporters were allowed to enter the stadium before the game. There were players in the stadium warming up. 

When the game was about to start, the athletes returned to the locker room and the staff began to prep the ice. 

Subsequently, as part of the "Hi-Tech Winter Olympics," a light show was held at the venue. Various patterns danced rhythmically with invigorating background music.

"We mainly drilled on venue, equipment, process, service, and personnel. We hope the testing events will be a success in both virus prevention and competition organization in order to ensure the games will be held in safety and stability," Ren Leiming, a director in charge of the venue's operation, told the Global Times.

Technology is a feature of the Beijing 2022 events, and related facilities are also under testing.

The venues for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games have been equipped with all types of high-tech tools to ensure the global sporting event is held without a hitch. Among these, robots built for various purposes are also ready, providing both convenience and an additional layer of safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are robots that can grind coffee beans and place the resulting grounds in a percolator to brew a cup of coffee in only four minutes. 

Another kind of robot helps out with logistics at the stadium. The logistics robot can carry up to 300 kilograms of goods and perform contactless distribution at the venue. 

The intelligent path-finding robot can move freely, avoid obstacles, and automatically recharge itself. The most important goal is to reduce direct contact between people.

A comprehensive virus prevention policy has been made to ensure the events will be held under safety.

All competition halls are part of the closed-loop bubble and there will be a strict epidemic prevention policy for entry and exit. There is also a special nucleic acid testing room and isolation room in the arenas.

At the previous testing events, all arena staff were put into closed-loop management for a month in advance, and each position had at least one back-up staff member who was also in closed-loop management. This will also be part of the prevention strategy for the Winter Olympics.

Cai Jinxu, who is in charge of transportation coordination at the National Indoor Stadium, told the Global Times that they have arranged different shuttle buses to transport athletes and personnel inside and outside the closed-loop. 

The buses also have separated drop-off points.

Moreover, exclusive lanes for vehicles related to the Olympic events have begun to be painted with logos in the city center of Beijing from this past Saturday. 

The main construction and basic decoration of the Winter Olympic Village in Beijing have basically been completed. The village is currently undergoing equipment installation and commissioning, furniture move-ins, and other related work. The village will be ready in December, and catering services, accommodation operation services, and commercial supporting service providers are ready for the opening.

The speed skating venue for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games Photo: Cui Fandi/GT

A driverless new-energy car serving the Winter Olympic Games is showed at the China International Import Expo on November 6, 2021. Photo: VCG

Medical personnel in protective suits watch as the China Ice Sports College hockey team practices on the ice during the Experience Beijing Ice Hockey Domestic Test Activity, a test event for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, Wednesday, November 10, 2021. Photo: VCG

Olympic logos are seen painted on the main traffic lanes in the city center of Beijing on Saturday. Photo: VCG

An audio robot with navigation function at the reception center for Olympic delegation groups in Beijing Photo: Zhao Juecheng/GT