FIS Nordic combined race director Lasse Ottesen has hailed the "great progress" made at the ski jumping and cross-country venues for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games ©FIS

International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic combined race director Lasse Ottesen has hailed the "great progress" made at the ski jumping and cross-country venues for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games after he and two of his colleagues viewed both on a visit to Zhangjiakou in Chongli District.

Ottesen was joined by Walter Hofer and Pierre Mignerey in being briefed on the progress of construction.

The FIS claims important steps have been made since the last inspection in November 2018, with the ski jumping venue on schedule and the cross-country facility ahead of schedule.

In the cross-country venue, the first national test events are due to take place in the upcoming winter.

The tracks are said to be 90 per cent ready, while snowmaking and lighting systems are scheduled to be installed this summer.

The foundation for the stadium has been laid and it is expected to be finished by early 2020.

Most of the groundwork for the ski jumping hills has been done and the foundations are already in place there. 

The main frames of the jumps are set to be in place by October this year and the facilities are due to be open for jumping by autumn 2020.

Germany's Andreas Wellinger will be among the standout names hoping to compete at the ski jumping venue in three years' time ©Getty Images
Germany's Andreas Wellinger will be among the standout names hoping to compete at the ski jumping venue in three years' time ©Getty Images

"Our visit to Zhangjiakou/Chongli, where the Nordic venues for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are located, has been an interesting one," Ottesen said.

"It was good to see the great progress since our last inspection. 

"The organisers are on schedule and we are really looking forward to the completion of the venues by the end of 2020."

A total of 10 measures have been proposed by officials in Zhangjiakou to ensure the safe construction of venues being built in the region for Beijing 2022.

The Zhangjiakou City Safety Production Committee Office has urged "enterprises to establish and improve the safety production management responsibility system" after it issued an implementation plan in April.

Under the plan, the city requires those involved in the construction process for venues and other Winter Olympic Games-related facilities to eliminate major accidents on building sites.

Located some 200 kilometres northwest of Beijing, Zhangjiakou will host snowboarding, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined and biathlon competitions during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Zhangjiakou is one of three venue clusters for the Games, along with Beijing and Yanqing.