Beijing's Olympic venues are serving the public all year round as multiple-functioning facilities that blend sports, culture, and commerce.
At the Shougang Park industrial complex, the Big Air Shougang ski jump -- a 2022 Winter Olympics landmark -- has been renovated into an adventure center. Since its soft opening on May 25, visitors can now ascend by elevator to a 33-meter observation deck before descending via slides, climbing walls, or rope nets. The adaptive reuse project introduces extreme sports like rappelling and mini-bungee alongside unconventional perks including an aerial cafe.
Nearby, the park's converted cooling towers have become a subterranean basketball court since March, where the structure's unique ventilation system creates distinctive playing conditions that draw consistent crowds.
The trend extends to indoor venues like Wukesong Stadium, China's first dual-purpose arena for ice hockey and basketball. During summer months, the facility shifts into an ice sports hotspot.
"Honestly, it's hard to distinguish between peak and off-peak seasons (for ice sports) now. In fact, there could be more people flows sometimes in summer. Just last week, we received about 2,000 to 3,000 casual skaters," said Feng Fei, a sports industry professional.
Beijing's Olympic venues serve public all year round
The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.
On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.
Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.
"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.
Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.
"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.
US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar
