Water Cube to Ice Cube: Canadian icemaker deals with unique challenges at Games

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This article was published 02/02/2022 (1580 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BEIJING – Canada’s Hans Wuthrich thought he had seen it all during his long icemaking career.

Delivering four top-quality curling sheets at the Beijing Games in a venue originally built for aquatic sports has been a unique challenge.

“Having to set up humidifiers instead of dehumidifiers to (avoid) losing your ice is quite unheard of,” said Wuthrich, who is from Gimli, on Wednesday.

The venue — first called the Water Cube — was used for competitions like swimming and diving at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. The 50-metre pool was drained and transformed into a curling facility — now dubbed the Ice Cube — in 2019.

Wuthrich said the high-roofed, shoebox-style building is challenging since it wasn’t built with the big air-handling units and large ducts traditionally used at ice event venues.

“The refrigeration system is fantastic,” he said. “It’s just the rest of the building is a real problem.”

Wuthrich said 20 humidifier units were needed this week to get the air moisture level where he wanted. He also had to fill a whirlpool in the building with hot water on Tuesday to create a “spa effect.”

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“It’s helped big time,” he said.

The ice quality drew rave reviews from curlers who practised Wednesday afternoon ahead of the mixed doubles round robin opener in the evening.

Canada’s Michele Gower is serving as deputy chief umpire at the curling venue during the Games. Competition continues through Feb. 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2022.

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