World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has praised China's exceptional capabilities in hosting major sporting events, citing the country's increasing athletic prowess, during his visit to attend the 9th Asian Winter Games underway in Harbin.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Coe reaffirmed that China is "world-class" at staging global events, as he elaborated on the country's impressive track record in hosting successful international competitions.
"China is world-class at staging world class events. We have three world championships in the next 2 years in China. We have the world indoor championships in Nanjing in just a few weeks’ time. We then have the world relays in Guangzhou. And then the jewel in the crown in 2027 in Beijing is our world championships and it was in 2016 at the world championships in Beijing that I got elected as President of World Athletics. So, I consider China to be my lucky country," he said.
Regarding his impression of Chinese athletes, Coe noted that he has seen significant progress as a result of close collaboration between World Athletics and major sports institutions in China.
"China's athletes are growing in stature all the time. I work very closely with the Chinese Athletics Association and the National Olympic Committee, in fact, the university that I am the chancellor of, which is the number one sports university in the world is working very closely with your coaches in China to develop pathways and programs and mutually help each other. So my relationships with China, both through World Athletics and through my university, and through the National Olympic Committee, they're very strong relationships," he said.
Furthermore, Coe highlighted that China represents a vast and expanding market for running and athletics, which is playing a crucial role in promoting the participation of young people in sports globally.
"The importance of China to world athletics is huge. You have more people that are regularly running than any other country in the world, in 5K's and 10K's and half marathons and marathons. And that is a very large and growing market for world athletics. It's also critical because the Chinese government and all the big city governments understand that running and athletics is probably one of the best sports for helping develop the health and vibrancy, both mentally and physically, of young people. So, we see China as an important country for us, not just for our competition, but for also helping us grow our participation and make a contribution to the health of young people," the World Athletics president said.
Running from Feb 7 to 14 under the theme "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia," the Asian Winter Games have gathered 1,275 competitors from 34 countries and regions, making this the largest ever edition of the Games in terms of overall participation.
China "world-class" at hosting global sporting events: World Athletics president
An innovative, China-developed intelligent caisson robot has played a crucial role in completing the main structure of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge in east China's Jiangsu Province, with its key ability to see in muddy water allowing more real-time monitoring and flexible drilling.
This advanced technology has significantly shortened the time required to construct the underwater foundation work needed for this project, which is designed to become the world's largest span cable-stayed bridge.
Due to the bridge's unique construction requirements, traditional drilling methods were inadequate for meeting the load-bearing demands of the main tower. The bridge's foundation differs from conventional suspension bridges; its main tower caissons are located within the river.
Employing cylindrical caissons, each weighing 23,000 tons, more than three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower, and covering an area equivalent to 13 basketball courts, these underwater caissons represent the world's largest underwater foundation.
Measuring 5.9 meters in length and 3.6 meters in height, the intelligent caisson robot, designed as China's first of its kind, operates underwater like a small truck. This pioneering robot ensures stability in anchoring even the most enormous underwater caissons.
To achieve uniform soil extraction in underwater visualization so that the giant caisson can take root smoothly in the water, the engineering construction team spent two years developing this smart caisson robotics system.
"This robot has realized one of its biggest difference-making functions: its ability to see underwater. With sonar and high-definition cameras for deep and muddy water, it operates underwater with real-time visual monitoring and adjustment," said Yang Le, director of large equipment department under China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd., responsible for the project construction.
Once deployed, the operator can adjust the robot's position using built-in range-finders and monitoring devices to its best working status.
"The drill in front has two functions: crush and absorb. By rotating the drill, the soil of various kinds is crushed and carried away by pipelines. Above the drill head is an 18-mega-pascal high-pressure water jet, which can break through hard soil layers and extract debris before suction. We also have a 380-cubic-meter-per-hour suction pump to remove sediment at an operation rate of 200 cubic meters per hour," Yang said.
The robotic arm's 360-degree mobility ensures even sediment extraction, which is critical for stabilizing the 300-meter caissons.
The robot also revolutionized underwater sediment removal, addressing risks of uneven excavation and tilt in traditional open caisson construction using air suction machines, which were also labor-intensive.
"In the past, soil extraction during caisson construction relied on vertical conduits and air suction methods. We could only rely on our experience, and such traditional ways are prone to uneven excavation and tilt of caissons," said Yang.
With the help of intelligent caisson robots, the construction team completed excavating and sinking the main tower caissons for the bridge two months ahead of schedule, ensuring that the main tower is more stable and securely anchored.
"Previous regular mud suction equipment required six workers per shift to move 40 cubic meters of sediment hourly. This robot only takes one man to operate in the operation room to increase the mud suction amount to 200 cubic meters per hour. That is four to six times faster," Yang said.
The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge is expected to open to traffic this year, reducing travel time between Changzhou and Taizhou to just 20 minutes.
China-developed robot helps construct giant bridge in muddy water
China-developed robot helps construct giant bridge in muddy water
