Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as “Water Cube” or “Ice Cube”, was a quality venue of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and classical reconstruction venue of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. As the only Olympic venue built under generous donations of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots and overseas Chinese, Beijing National Aquatics Center is not only appraised as one of the “Top 10 Newly-built Architectural Wonders of China”, but also a new icon of Beijing.
Established in August 2007, Beijing National Aquatics Center Co., Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “National Aquatics Center”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BSAM and fully responsible for the venue operation and management of National Aquatics Center. Following the instructions and guiding principles of “doing a good job in the post-Games operation of the Olympic venues” given by the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Beijing Municipal People’s Government, National Aquatics Center establishes the goal vision of “world-class venue operation service provider”, and constantly gropes for “Chinese Experience” in “repeated utilization, comprehensive utilization and lasting utilization” of the Olympic venues. In 2019, it was awarded the trophy of “Sport and Sustainable Architecture 2019” by the International Olympic Committee.
Since the post-Games operation, National Aquatics Center has constantly expanding the business lines, such as sports events, tourism visits, swimming fitness, ice rink operation, large-scale events, brand development, franchised operation, water park and so on. By the end of 2021, the venue had greeted 26 million visitors, held more than 1,600 events in various forms, and provided swimming services for about 2.6 million persons.
After the facelifting for the purpose of the Winter Olympics Beijing 2022, National Aquatics Center has been both swimming pool and ice rink under “dual drive”, while its operational capacity has been comprehensively upgraded. Thanks to “water-ice conversion” (a subtle change from “Water Cube” into “Ice Cube”), curling test competitions were held at National Aquatics Center in 2019 and 2021. Curling and wheelchair curling events of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 met with a complete success, which was highly praised by Kate Caithness (President of the World Curling Federation) as “the best curling venue in the successive Winter Olympics”.
National Aquatics Center, a shining venue for “Dual Olympics”, will continue to diversify “Chinese Experience” of “a good example of post-Games Olympic venue utilization”, offer “Chinese Solutions” to “water-ice venue under dual drive”, and continuously write a new chapter on the high-quality development in the new era.
