'Ice Ribbon' speed skating Oval to add to Olympic legacy in China

BEIJING -- The National Speed Skating Oval, which will stage speedskating competitions during the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, will be a fitting addition to the architectural legacy of the Olympics, games organizers said.

Sitting in the Olympic Forest Park next to the Beijing 2008 tennis facility, the National Speed Skating Oval is already under construction, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

The National Speed Skating Oval, dubbed the "Ice Ribbon", will add a new permanent facility to the cluster of venues left from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. And it will serve well the city's promise to promote skating among the public, said the organizing committee for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

Twenty-two separate light strands (or ribbons) flow up and around the oval, representing the speed and trail of this sport. At night, the facade creates an exciting spectacle, with each of the strands becoming dynamic ribbons of light, able to change to an endless array of lighting programs.

"'The Ice Ribbon' evokes and celebrates the elegance, precision, pace and drama of speed skating," said a member of the panel for the venue design contest.