Lie Bao, a 4K high-definition high-speed camera system, is used to broadcast speed skating evetns at Beijing 2022. Photo: Beijing Daily

 
After Chinese short-track speed skater Ren Ziwei won gold in the men's 1,000 meters at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Monday evening, there was much discussion online about China's high-speed cameras in the speed skating stadiums. A 4K high-definition camera system named "Lie Bao" developed by China Media Group (CMG) was able to accurately capture any foul play during the speed skating event.

After reviewing Monday's race, the chief referee declared Ren the winner and penalized Hungary's Liu Shaolin for blocking Ren near the finishing line. Many netizens also attributed Ren's victory to the high-speed cameras on the field, which clearly recorded every movement of the athletes during the race.

In order to better capture the exciting moments of the Beijing Winter Olympics, China has developed a series of high-speed cameras, among which "Lie Bao" has attracted wide attention.

Lie Bao, or cheetah in English, is a 4K high-definition camera system developed by CMG over five years, specifically for broadcasting speed skating events at Beijing 2022. 

Experts said that during the speed skating race, the athletes can reach a speed of 15 to 18 meters per second, equal to about 50 kilometers per hour, which requires real-time synchronization of the broadcast equipment.

Lie Bao can cope with a speed of 25 meters per second, equal to about 90 kilometers per hour, so it can closely track the athletes as well as capturing various scenes during the speed skating. Although the bulk of viewers cannot be present, they are able to follow every move of Chinese short-track speed skaters including their expressions.

After Ren's victory, "Thanks to 'Lie Bao'" was trending on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo Monday evening, and many netizens expressed pride in China's high-end technology, with one comment saying that "fairness in speed skating has been achieved for the first time with the help of China's high-end technology."

At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the Tokyo Olympics last year, the hosts chose high-definition cameras from Intel to record the events. During Beijing 2022, China has showcased a slew of new technologies, which not only represent the country's innovation ability, but have also boosted national pride, analysts said.