Non-contact award ceremonies held during test event for Beijing 2022 (4)

A skater competes during the speed skating test competition held at the “Ice Ribbon”, National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing. (Photo/Yin Xingyun)

A test event with the theme of “Experiencing Beijing” was recently held at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, dubbed the "Ice Ribbon", a venue for the Beijing 2022 ice sports.

After a speed skating competition came to an end, a non-contact award ceremony was held, during which medalists picked up their prize from a platform on the podium to avoid human contact. No Miss Etiquettes were present at the ceremony.

Non-contact ceremonies also followed competitions held in other venues for Beijing 2022 during the test event, as medalists were seen presenting prizes to other winners or receiving prizes from robots.

The innovation was part of COVID-19 prevention and control efforts and drew widespread attention. A medalist from the Beijing team said he welcomed this new approach, as it would protect athletes from COVID-19.