National Speed Skating Oval

The National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing's Chaoyang district was built for the 2022 Winter Olympics and houses China's only purpose-built speed-skating track. Twenty-two undulating glass ribbons running across its facade gave it the nickname Ice Ribbon. It stands on the site of the tennis courts from the 2008 Summer Games, symbolically linking Beijing's double Olympic history. The 12,000-seat arena uses carbon dioxide rather than conventional refrigerants, which the organisers describe as the most energy-efficient Olympic ice facility ever built; four world records fell on this ice during the 2022 season. After the Games capacity was reduced to about 6,000 seats; the 400-metre track now hosts recreational skaters and school programmes, plus regular ISU World Cup races and ice shows. The easiest approach is Beijing Metro line 15 to Anlilu station.