Big Air Shougang is known as an “auspicious site in western Beijing.” Chinese athletes have once again ascended the podiums. 

Following three days of intense competition, the 2024–25 FIS Snowboard & Freeski Big Air World Cup concluded on the evening of December 1 at Big Air Shougang. In the culminating snowboard big air final, Chinese athlete Yang Wenlong, showcasing exceptional prowess, clinched the bronze medal with a score of 159.25 points, marking his inaugural podium finish in the World Cup.

Yang Wenlong and Su Yiming advanced to the finals as the top two qualifiers. Yang Wenlong secured his place on the podium with two meticulously executed 1800 tricks. After encountering setbacks in his initial two attempts at the highly difficult 1980 trick, Su Yiming successfully landed it in his final run, earning the third-highest score of the event at 89 points. This performance underscored his enduring strength in snowboarding, placing him tenth.

Chinese athletes Liu Mengting and Yang Ruyi finished sixth and seventh in the women’s freestyle ski big air final.

The event yielded a total of four gold medals: Mia Brookes from the UK claimed the gold in the women’s snowboard big air event, Hiroto Ogiwara from Japan emerged victorious in the men’s snowboard big air event, Tess Ledeux from France secured the women’s title in the freestyle ski big air event, and Tormod Frostad from Norway triumphed in the men’s freestyle ski big air event.

A year since its last hosting, the FIS Snowboard & Freeski Big Air World Cup has returned to Shougang Park. As the world’s first permanently retained big air venue, Big Air Shougang has once again captivated global attention with its distinctive “industrial style.” During the electrifying finals, athletes from across the globe were poised for action, and the stands were filled to capacity against the backdrop of Shougang Park’s iconic features, such as the Shijingshan summit, blast furnace clusters, and cooling towers, which were illuminated to witness the momentous occasion of this world-class winter sports spectacle.

The events’ crystal trophies emerged as a striking highlight, bearing Big Air Shougang as a unique symbol. The trophy, meticulously crafted from transparent crystal, boasts a high refractive index and pristine clarity, allowing it to capture and refract ambient light, creating a dazzling halo effect. Within the crystal sphere, a delicately miniature of the white big air jump symbolizes the snow-draped Big Air Shougang, creating an aesthetic artifact and a cherished emblem of honor.

Shougang Park has stayed in the spotlight as a top-tier site frequented by premier events. From the Beijing Winter Olympics to the Big Air World Cup, from the WCBA league to the WTT Grand Smash, Shougang Park has effectively harnessed the legacy of the Winter Games to position itself as a leader in the wave of “repurposing and utilizing industrial heritage” by leveraging the Big Air Shougang venue as a springboard and centering on “sports +” events. From an industrial relic to a Winter Olympics arena, and now a versatile year-round destination, the “permanently retained” Big Air Shougang keeps fulfilling its value. A former site of the Shougang Group, Shougang Park was turned into a park after the relocation of Shougang to hold the Summer Olympics 2008. Following the Winter Olympics 2022, Shougang Park has established itself as a burgeoning hub for sporting events and activities, taking significant strides towards high-quality development in the “post-Winter Olympics era.”