The images we got were spectacular. We were not disappointed at the start of the week.
The high, colorful ramp used for freestyle skiing and snowboarding high jump events has been planted in the heart of Beijing, in the middle of what was once a steelworks with its impressive cooling towers, tall chimneys and huge concrete and steel production facilities that make the place look like the end of the world. To reinforce the surreal side of the place which has been converted into a trendy district, a body of water has been planned in the middle of which have been built traditional red and gold Chinese pavilions connected by covered promenades and accessible by a white stone bridge. in the shape of an arc. At the top of a hill stands a pagoda overlooking the whole.
Built from materials salvaged from the old factory, the 64-meter-high and 164-meter-long ramp is the world’s first permanent high jump structure. At its feet, the access roads to the press stands are such maze that the representatives of the Duty found themselves in spite of themselves, and to the greatest horror of the security services, in the other sanitary bubble of the Games, in the middle of the athletes who should not normally be approached within two meters. To make matters worse for the dystopian side of the scene, the authorities seem to have deemed it necessary to dispatch an abnormally high number of police officers dressed in black.
A disaster movie director’s fantasy, Shougang’s Big Leap offers a dramatic yet urban setting that should appeal to its young and cool followers.
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.
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