Editor's note: On Feb 4, the Olympic cauldron will be ignited in Beijing, signaling the start of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. With the grand sporting event kicking off in less than a month, organizers are fully prepared to hold a series of simple, safe and splendid competitions. All venues and facilities are in place, clean air and green energy is already flowing, and a closed-loop system is ready up to prevent COVID-19.

The mascots of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon are seen in Beijing on this picture taken on Jan 12, 2022. [Photo/IC]

The Beijing government has approached the Winter Olympics with the principles of being green, low-carbon and sustainable, which provides a great opportunity to improve the city's environment, transform and upgrade in a direction toward green development.

Beijing made a breakthrough in its air pollution treatment as the city reached the national air quality standard.

The city's average concentration of PM2.5 was 33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, the lowest level since records began in 2013.

Skaters practice on the lake at Olympic Forest Park in Beijing. WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY

Beijing will re-use venues from the 2008 Olympics for the 2022 Winter Games. Among these, the National Aquatic Center or "Water Cube" - known as the "Ice Cube" for the upcoming Winter Games - will host curling events, and the National Indoor Stadium will host ice hockey. Opening and closing ceremonies will once again take place at the Beijing National Stadium, or Bird's Nest.

The National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou City, locally known as the "Snow Ruyi", will host the ski jumping and Nordic combined events during the Beijing Winter Games. YANG SHIYAO/XINHUA

The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Games in history to exclusively power all venues with clean energy from renewable sources. Solar and wind power will be generated in the Zhangbei area of Hebei province.

All venues can be reached via public transportation.

Athletes compete in a qualification round for curling at the Winter Olympics. WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, Beijing will use carbon dioxide in its ice-making procedures. Removing ozone layer-harming Freon as a refrigerant in ice making during the Games is expected to help reduce carbon emissions equivalent to that of 3,900 cars per year, and cut emissions from the activity to nearly zero.

The new ice-making technology will also significantly save electricity.

Beijing's first hydrogen filling station opened on Aug 15 in the city's Changping district. Staff members filled the first tank of hydrogen fuel for a service vehicle helping to prepare for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Spectators at the 2022 Winter Olympics will be encouraged to travel by public transport across the three competition zones - downtown Beijing, its suburban Yanqing district and co-host Zhangjiakou in Hebei province - which have been connected by an electric-powered high-speed railway that began operation in late 2019.

All passenger vehicles used for the Games' official transport service will be powered by renewable energy. New energy vehicle charging facilities have been built at the venues and along roads between Beijing and Zhangjiakou.

Photo taken on July 16, 2021 shows a view of the Olympic Village for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]

According to the Beijing Winter Olympics Village's owner, Beijing Investment Group Co, all permanent buildings within the complex have passed the highest three-star certification for green construction with the recycling of materials, energy saving and environmental protection prioritized throughout the whole process of development.

(From ChinaDaily)