The idea of ski jumpers acrobatically cruising through the air at the Winter Olympics is typically accompanied with the background of snow-capped mountains.
But not this year.
Beijing’s option of place for the freeski Big Air occasion will transfer British audiences to the heady days of driving past Ferrybridge power station (rest in peace) on the A1.
Situated within the premises of a previous steel mill in the west of the capital, the world’s finest professional athletes will be leaping for medals in front of ginormous cooling chimneys at Shougang commercial park.
And it’s not as if China lacks mountains. The Asian superpower is house to the Himalayas and no less than 7 other mountains.
It didn’t take wish for sports fans to observe when the very first day of qualifiers started today.
‘Feels pretty dystopian to have some kind of nuclear facility as the backdrop for this Big Air skiing event,’ one tweeted.
Other audiences observed the striking resemblance with Homer Simpson’s nuclear work environment.
‘The Big Air stadium at the Olympics seems to be right next to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant,’ another joked.
Officials protected the unexpected option of place, stating it was selected to represent sustainability by turning an enterprise zone into one for cultural usage.
Among those who were in fact impressed by the commercial park was Team China’s freestyle gold medal hope Eileen Gu.
‘The venue is fantastic,’ Gu stated. ‘I mean, look around, there’ s no snow anywhere else. And in some way when you’re snowboarding on this task, you’re seem like you’re on a glacier someplace.’
Big Air is a fairly brand-new occasion including professional athletes zipping down an enormous ramp to carry out gravity-defying techniques and twists.
It is popular with professional athletes and sponsors due to the fact that the place can be momentarily built, permitting occasions to be kept in metropolitan places much better to viewers.
Shougang’s swelling 64- metre high and 164- metre long ramp will stay in location after the Games, making it the world’s very first irreversible Big Air place.
‘The venue is amazing and the bigger jump is so wild, it’ s such a cool location to have the dive in,’ Britain’s freestyle skier Kirsty Muir stated.
French rival Antoine Adelisse included: ‘The first time I was on the top I was a bit disappointed, because when we’ re at the top we typically see great deals of mountains. But when the lights get on it’s actually fantastic.’
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